


The Hilltop

by Chelsea072498



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cult, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-26 22:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20749880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chelsea072498/pseuds/Chelsea072498
Summary: The Winchesters catch up with an old friend, Y/N while her niece finds herself trying to save her best friend from a group of strangers who live at a place called The Hilltop.Story is complete and will be posted entirely in the next day or so!





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

She pulled her long blonde hair into a messy knot as her eyes scanned the street for her best friend. Sighing, Emily Jackson wondered if she was going to have time to stop by the salon to book her next appointment. The pink and purple highlights were starting to fade from her last visit. Emily was trying to decide between blue or green for her next look.

A few feet away, she noticed a small child standing by the curb. Emily looked around but saw no adult watching her. Emily started to say something, but she felt her phone vibrate and looked down. Mia was on her way. Emily started to reply but something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

The little girl was jumping on the curb when her foot slipped out from under her. She fell into the street just as a car turned in that direction. Emily dropped her phone and bag, raced to the curb and grabbed the child quickly.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” Emily asked.

“Watch your kid!” The driver screamed as he raced by.

Emily ignored him as she asked the child again. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, her huge brown eyes filled with tears. “You saved my life.”

“Let’s not get over dramatic. He would have stopped.” Emily hoped so anyway.

“Amity!” A young woman suddenly appeared and grabbed the girl. “I turned around and you weren’t there! What have I told you about running off when we’re in town?!”  


“I don’t like that store! The music is too loud!” Amity looked at Emily. “She saved my life.”

“I didn’t….”

“I fell in the street and a car was coming. She grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. She saved me.”

The young woman looked at Emily for confirmation. “She fell?”

Emily mistook her tone. “She was jumping around and slipped, I think. Probably a good thing my friend is running late.”

“Mommy, she’s a hero.”

“No, I’m not. I was just here.”

“You were here for a reason.” The young woman smiled. “I’m Faith. This is Amity.” She pushed one of Amity’s brown braids behind her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“I’m Emily. And it’s not a big deal. Most people would have stopped to help her.”

Faith’s eyes looked around. “Apparently not. The street’s pretty busy today and you were the only one to notice her. That’s the problem with the world though. People are too interested in themselves….” She stopped. “Well, thank you. Thank you for being at the right place at the right time.”

“Sure.” Emily took in Faith’s clothes and hair. She wore a long braid and a plain, long dress with long sleeves. She carried a very small bag over her shoulder. Emily was curious about them, where they came from, and why they were in town, but had no idea how to ask. She heard her phone and jumped up. “My stuff!”

She grabbed her bag and phone from the ground and turned around to see Faith and Amity standing directly behind her. “Well, I...”

“I would like to thank you.” Faith smiled. “There’s not a lot of kindness in the world anymore. You could have ignore that Amity was in need but you didn’t. Do you live here in town?”

“Yeah, my mom and I live over there.” She pointed in the direction of the apartment complex she and her mother recently moved into. “I live over there.”

Faith’s eyes widened when she saw Emily’s bracelet. “What an interesting piece of jewelry.” She dared to touch it, examining the small charms. “That’s quite unique...”

“My best friend gave it to me.” Emily smiled. “She’s actually on her way….”

“Hey!” Mia Hawkins was out of breath. “Sorry! I had to help in the shop. It got busy about ten minutes before I was supposed to leave.”

“It’s okay.” Emily told her. “If you had been on time, I wouldn’t have met Faith and Amity.”

Mia looked at the little girl and her mother. “Oh….hi there.”

“She saved my life.” Amity said.

“You saved her life?”

  
Emily shrugged. “I’ll tell you later.”

Mia opened her mouth, but Faith noticed her necklace. “You girls have such interesting pieces here.”

“My aunt collects different charms.” Mia smiled politely, but something about Faith made her uncomfortable. “Em, I have some things to take care of for Aunt Y/N after we have lunch.”

Emily nodded. “I need to make a couple of stops myself.” She looked at Faith and Amity. “It was nice to meet you both.”

Faith took her hand. “You, too.” She reached in her pocket and pulled a card out. “Here. Take a look at this later.”

“Yeah.” Emily looked at it. Mia’s eyes widened when she saw it. “Thanks.”

“Bye, Emily! I hope I see you soon!”

“Yeah, me too.” Emily watched them walk away. “That whole thing was weird.” She muttered to Mia.

Mia watched Faith and Amity join another young woman wearing a similar dress to Faith’s. “Where are they from?”

“I’m not sure. Mom said once there was a community in the mountains but she didn’t know much about it.” Emily put the card in her bag and linked arms with Mia. “Lunch?”

“Lunch! I’m starving! Aunt Y/N is freaking out. Some old friends are coming into town for a few days and she invited them to dinner. She said you’re welcome to join us.”

“Thanks. Mom’s working late so I appreciate not being alone.” Emily looked back one last time and saw Faith smiling at her. “Who are the friends?”

“Family friends. They….they were on the way to meet my mom when she was killed. They’re the ones who put her to rest and told us.” Mia sighed. “Aunt Y/N didn’t take the news well. She said a lot kind of happened at once. She hasn’t seen or spoken to them until the phone call a couple of days ago.”

Emily looked at Mia. “Sounds like it’ll be an interesting evening.”

“I made her promise to keep the drama to a minimum.”

~*~*~

Y/N Hawkins was rushing around the apartment when the girls arrived in the early evening. “Thank goodness you’re back! I was stuck at the shop until an hour ago! Thank you for putting dinner in the crock pot earlier. If you hadn’t, we’d have to order pizza….”

“You okay, Y/N?” Emily asked.

Y/N stopped. “Yeah, it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen these two. Last time didn’t end very well.”

“Mia told me a little.” Emily sighed. “What can we do to help?”

“Seriously?” Mia was already sitting in her favorite recliner. “I just sat down!”  


“Mia, can you set the table for me? Seven places, please. Emily, will you help me move these boxes to my office. I didn’t expect this delivery until Monday.”

“Sure, no problem.” Emily grabbed two boxes. “What is all this?”

“Oils, incense, candles. The larger, heavier boxes are journals.” Y/N sighed. “I’ve got three more deliveries early next week. If you girls want to make some extra money, I could use help moving everything and stocking.”

“Sure,” Emily loved helping Y/N in the shop. “Mom’s working a lot more now that Dad’s gone. I hate being alone in the apartment.”

Y/N stopped and looked at her. “You’re welcome here anytime, Em. You know that.”

“Thanks, Y/N. I just don’t want to be a burden.”

“You aren’t.” Y/N smiled. “You keep Mia out of trouble.”

Emily laughed. “I try. She doesn’t make it easy.”

Y/N laughed with her until the doorbell interrupted. “Damn it.”

“You okay?” Mia asked.

“As okay as I’ll ever be.” Y/N took a deep breath as the doorbell rang again.

Emily and Mia shared a look. “You planning to answer that?”

“I...”

“Oh my God, seriously?” Mia walked to the door and opened it before Y/N could protest.

Two tall, good looking men stood, surprised to see her. “Um, hi.” The taller of the two started. “We’re looking for Y/N.” His eyes stared at her. He knew she was almost sixteen but the last time he saw her, she had been a child with two dark red pigtails.

“She lives here.” Mia moved. “Come on in.”

The other man looked at Mia. “You look like your mom.”

“That’s what they tell me.” Mia smiled. She saw the other two people behind them. “Come on in.”

“Thank you,” the woman smiled and followed the other two. Mia saw the young man and glanced at Emily. He was cute, even if he did look a little lost.

“Hey,” Y/N smiled at the men. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it is.” His green eyes met her Y/E/C eyes for a second before he smiled. “You look good.”

“Thanks. You too.”

“Hey, Y/N.” The taller man stepped forward and hugged her. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Sam.” Y/N smiled at him. “I’m glad you two could come.”

Mia moved next to Emily. “This is so awkward.” She whispered.

“I heard that!” Y/N looked at her. “Girl, this is Sam Winchester and his brother Dean. You two remember Mia?”

“She was a kid last time.” Dean shook his head. “She really looks like Annie, doesn’t she?”

Y/N nodded. “That’s not the only thing she got from her mother.” Y/N pulled Emily forward. “This is Emily, Mia’s best friend.”

“Hi.” She gave a small wave.

Dean noticed her bracelet and looked at Y/N. She knew he had questions but now was not the time for that discussion. “This is your mother?”

“Yeah,” Sam smiled. “Mom, this is Y/N. She and her sister, Annie, hunted with us several times over the years until Annie….”

“Annie was killed on a case. Sam and Dean helped put her spirit to rest for us.” Y/N looked down. “I didn’t exactly appreciate what they did at the time, but I know it was for the best.”

Mary sensed this was what her sons meant by unfinished business with their old friend. “They’ve told me a few stories. Sounds like you and your sister were a hell of a team.”

“I don’t know. We did what we needed to. Your boys here, they’re the ones who save the world when it’s needed.”

Mia and Emily exchanged a look. “So, is that your brother or something?”

“Yeah, Jack’s family.” Dean said.

“Hello,” Jack smiled at the two girls. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Mia smiled back. She looked at Emily and motioned toward her bedroom. “We’re going to check and see if our grades are online so we can actually start to enjoy summer vacation.”

“That can wait.” Y/N smiled. “Dinner’s ready.”

Everyone sat as Mia and Y/N brought the food out. Once they sat down, Y/N asked a few casual questions. Dean and Sam seemed reluctant to say much in front of the girls. Finally Y/N looked at Mia. “What did the two of you do all day?”

“Emily saved some girl in a cult from getting hit by a car.”  


“Mia!” Emily felt her cheeks flush.

Y/N looked at Emily. “Translation?”

“Some little girl was jumping on a curb and fell. I just pulled her out of the street.”

“A car was coming.” Mia added.

“You weren’t even there yet!”

“You told me what happened.” Mia shook her head. “She’s so modest.”

“Amelia.” Y/N shook her head. “Why did you say she was a cult member?”

“Well, they looked Amish, but there aren’t any Amish communities around here. Em’s mom told her there was a cult in the mountains.”

“They were wearing color, Mia, not black and white.”

“Browns and faded dark blue. Hair in braids...”

Y/N shrugged. “I have heard rumors of a religious group in the mountains, but I’ve never seen them in town. It’s not fair to call them a cult, Mia.”

“I know, I know, but I got a creepy vibe from the woman. She didn’t much older than us and the little girl was five, maybe six.” Mia looked at Emily. “Didn’t she seem really interested in our jewelry?”

“Mia, everyone comments on our charms.” Emily sighed. “It was odd. They made a huge deal about me saving the kid.”

Mary smiled at her. “As a mother, I can tell you she was probably very shaken up and relieved you were there.”

“Where was she?” Dean asked.

Emily shrugged. “Some store. Amity snuck off.”

“Amity?” Jack looked up. “That’s an interesting name.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Emily shrugged. “Her mom gave me a card.”

“What did it say?” Mia asked.

Emily only remembered the picture. “There was a hill with a tree on it. I’ll show you later.”

Y/N kept the conversation light the rest of dinner and then helped the girls cleared the table. Mia and Emily offered to put the leftovers away while Y/N sat with the Winchesters and caught up.

“If you need us, we’ll be in my room.” Mia peaked her head in the living room.

“Thanks, girls!” Y/N called after her.

Mary smiled. “They’re very sweet.”

“I can’t take credit for Emily. Mia can be sweet, but she’s a huge smartass.” Y/N saw Dean chuckle. “What?”

“She gets that from her mother and aunt.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Dean decided to ask about the jewelry. “You gave her best friend anti-possession charms?”

“I figured you’d ask about that. Yes. Emily knows about what Annie and I used to do. I have an occult shop. Most people around here think of it as a novelty store, but there’s a special section in the basement for old friends.”

“Mia told Emily?” Mary asked.

“Not exactly. When we moved to town, Mia and Emily became friends Mia’s first day of school. The first time Mia slept over there, Emily’s brother came into her room in the middle of the night. Her brother who had died two years earlier. Emily and her parents knew he was there, but they ignored it until he started to become vengeful. There was a bad accident and Jacob died instantly.”

“Wow, Mia realized what was going on?” Mary asked.

“She did,” Y/N sighed. “Emily was scared to lose her brother again. Mia was young and she was thinking about Annie. She didn’t say anything to me until Emily ended up in the hospital with a broken arm. Jacob told Emily before he pushed her he wanted her to suffer before he killed her. As soon as Mia told me, I spoke to Emily’s parents and explain things to them.”

“But you stayed in town?” Dean asked.

Y/N nodded. “Cas came to see me, to check on us. I asked him to help. Emily’s parents agreed that it would be for the best to not remember Jacob as a ghost.”

“Cas wiped their memories.”

“He did. Just some memories. Cas asked Emily and she was scared. She decided she wanted to remember.”

Sam sighed. “So you told her everything?”

“No,” Y/N shook her head. “Mia did, before she told me what was happening with the ghost.”

“Mia wasn’t supposed to remember.” Dean snapped.

“It was her choice.” Y/N sighed. “I had a spell ready but Mia wanted to remember. She didn’t want fake memories of her mother. I think she was right. Mia and Annie were close. Mia deserves to know the truth.”

Mary sensed her son’s anger and asked more about the shop. Y/N told her what they carried and Sam asked if they could look around before they left, maybe get a few things they may need for later. Y/N told them to come to the shop before she opened the next morning and she’d let them take a look before customers arrived.

As they left, Dean stopped and looked into her eyes. “We need to talk.”

“If you’re going to fight with me...”

“Y/N, no.” Dean’s face softened. “There’s a lot that I need to say to you. I never got the chance and who knows if you’ll ever give me another chance...”

Y/N bit her lip. “Tomorrow night? The girls have a slumber party so we’ll be alone.”

“I’ll bring the beer.”

“Sounds good.” She smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

Dean smiled back. “Yeah, I’ll see you then.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As soon as Mia shut her bedroom door, she smiled. “Jack is really cute.”

“He is, but I’m more interested in what happened between Dean and Y/N. Was it just me or was there a lot of tension there?”

Mia nodded. “Yeah, there was. The last time we saw Sam and Dean, they found us in Idaho, waiting for my mom. Dean told Aunt Y/N and all hell broke loose. Sam took me outside and told me exactly what happened and what my mom wanted.”

“Thank goodness Y/N gave us both that choice.” Emily sighed. “What was up with their mom? How old is she?”

“Mary Winchester should be in her sixties.” Mia saw Emily’s face. “Right? Trippy, huh?”

“Did she make a deal or something?”

Mia shook her head. “Until a couple of years ago, Mary Winchester was dead. Aunt Y/N heard from a few others she was back. She never got the whole story. I wanted to ask but I knew she’d kill me!”

Emily laughed, imagining the look on Y/N’s face if Mia had brought that up during dinner. She reached into her bag for her phone and pulled out the card from Faith. “Here’s that card.”

Mia moved next to her. “There’s a website and phone number on it. That seems kind of strange.”

“Why?”

“They’re minimalists. That much is obvious by their clothes. I’m just kind of surprised they have a website.” She reached for her laptop. “Let’s take a look.”

They pulled the site up and looked at the few photos. Faith and Amity were in most, as well as the other woman they saw earlier. Mia read a few lines of the opening paragraph and shook her head. “They’re definitely recruiting.”

“I imagine groups like that have to do something to let people know they are out there.” Emily read it. “Apparently they use solar power and have sketchy wi-fi for emergency purposes. There’s no email but they have the phone number here.”

“It feel off, Em. I’ve lived here for almost six years and until today I never saw them in town. You never saw them before today?”

Emily shook her head. “Mom mentioned the group, like I said, but she didn’t know much about them. It does seem odd that we’ve never seen them before.”

Mia closed the page and put her computer aside. “I doubt we’ll ever see them again.”  


“You’re right. They probably go to Dalesville. It would be closer to where their community is.”

“How do you know that?” Mia asked.

Emily laughed. “The map on the website.”

Mia smiled. “See? I bet they came over here for something they couldn’t get there.” She grabbed a bottle of green nail polish and prepared to paint her nails. “So, Jack is cute, but what about Sam and Dean? I always thought they were cute, but I was wrong. They’re both super hot!”

~*~*~

Jack couldn’t wait until they reached the car to ask. “Why were you so angry, Dean?”

Sam and Mary exchanged a look, worried Dean would lose his temper with the younger man. Instead Dean sighed. “Annie begged us, made us swear to her we’d have Y/N do one thing. She didn’t do it.”

“Which was?”

Sam answered for Dean. “She wanted Y/N to use a spell that would change Mia’s memories. She didn’t want Mia to know anything about hunting or the supernatural. She actually kept Mia out of it for a long time, but a demon came for Annie and grabbed Mia….”

“Y/N had the spell but apparently she lets kids make important decisions...”

“I agree with what she did.” Sam surprised his brother. “It was the right choice. Mia knew too much. Too many people knew about Mia. If she remembers, she can protect herself if she ever needs to.”

It seems like there’s more to all of this, Dean.” Mary sat in the front seat next to her son. “Were you and Y/N together?”

“Mom?!”

“You’re almost forty years old, Dean. I’m pretty sure you haven’t lived a life of abstinence.” Mary looked at him and then looked back at Sam. “I’m sure both of you have…”

“We tried it, kind of. Nothing every really happened. We couldn’t get it together.” Dean said. “Dad had me hunting with him, and then gave me my own cases. Annie was taking time off after she had Mia, so Y/N was doing a lot on her own. She ended up dating someone else. Annie and I hooked up one night.” He looked at his mother. “Sorry, Mom. You asked.”

Mary nodded. “I did. You and Y/N liked each other, she started dating someone else, so you slept with her sister?”

“When you put it that way….” Dean stopped. “Annie said that Y/N moved on. She might be hurt, but she was with that other guy. Except they broke up less than a week later and she called me. Y/N said she regretted not giving us a real shot and asked me to work a case with her. I told her what happened. She said she was okay. Maybe she was. She’d been with that other guy for over a year at that point. Annie told me later, Y/N said she just didn’t want to be alone.” He grew quiet.

“We found Y/N and Mia in Idaho after Annie was killed. She was upset and she got angry with both of us and told us to leave and stay out of her life.” Sam said.

“Why did you call her then?”

Dean stayed quiet for a few minutes before answering. “There was too much left unsaid.”

~*~*~

Y/N checked on the girls before she retreated to her room. She took a deep breath and walked to her closet. On the top shelf, she found the old tin box and pulled it down. Y/N sat on her bed and pulled the lid off, revealing years of photographs she looked at only once every few years.

Most of the pictures were from early 2000. She and Dean worked a few cases together. It wasn’t until she went back to working with Annie that she realized how much she missed him. It wasn’t until she saw him again in late 2001 that she realized her feelings for him went beyond friendship.

They tried. They worked a few cases, but John or Bobby always seemed to interrupt. She met David and thought that maybe getting involved with him would be the smart move. David’s family were hunters, but he focused on research. Y/N was bored after a couple of months and began hunting again. She realized after a year, she and David were wasting their time. They both carried torches for other people.

Dean’s night with Annie was a surprise, but she forgave them both instantly. She had been with David and Annie was sure that she was going to marry him. Y/N realized that their night together was nothing more than friends seeking comfort in one another.

Annie’s death through her for a loop. Y/N had always helped care for her niece. Suddenly she was all Mia had. Instead of letting Dean and Sam help her, she pushed them away. She also regretted it everyday since. Sam and Dean had always been good to her family, but her grieve overshadowed everything else at that moment.

Y/N spent another hour looking through the pictures, reading postcards Dean sent her over the years, and finally decided she should try and get some rest. As she laid her head on the pillow, she heard the ding from her phone.

_Hey, Sweetheart. I hope this is a fresh start for our friendship and not a final goodbye. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Dean stood outside the door for a full five minutes before he knocked. Y/N answered with a smile.

“I was debating whether or not I should open the door. I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Or let me know you were waiting?”

Y/N laughed. “Come on in.” She saw the two large pizzas and case of beer. “You still eat a lot?”

“I don’t eat that much!” Dean argued.

“It never bothered me.” Y/N told him as she set the food and beer down on the coffee table. “I thought we could sit here. More casual...”

Dean shrugged. “Whatever makes you feel better.” He took his jacket off and sat on the floor. “Mia’s not here?”

“She’s supposed to be at a slumber party. Their friend canceled last minute. Her brother’s in the Army and surprised them with leave. Emily’s mom is off tonight so they may stay there. Sherry may want some time with Em though, so Mia could appear at any moment. I did tell her she needed to be prepared to hang in her room though.” Y/N took a deep breath. “I never thought I’d see you or Sam again.”

“Sam said he tried to reach out to you.”

“I replied, a few times, but I wasn’t sure that letting myself get back into the life was a good idea. I have the shop and I have things people need. I do help out with questions about lore sometimes, but I don’t hunt. I can’t. Mia’s all I’ve got and I’m all she’s got.” She paused. “She does have Em. Those two know more than I wanted them to. I know it does keep them safe, but they aren’t like us….”

“You regret not doing what Annie wanted?”

“No,” Y/N shook her head. “If I’d gone through with it, and something happened and she remembered, Mia would never trust me again. It would have been too much. She’d have two sets of memories of Annie and she’d constantly question which ones were real.”

“Emily’s parents wanted it for her though?”

“Em made that call. Cas didn’t want to do it. He told her parents that there would be gaps, blanks, and they’d question things. I don’t think it was as bad as it could have been, but Emily asked Mia what she would do. Mia told her everything. Emily wanted to remember. Cas wouldn’t do it once Em said no.”

“You’ve given them charms. I imagine you’re keeping an eye on them.” Dean looked at her. “If Mia is anything like you and Annie, and I suspect she is, you’re probably constantly worried they’re going to look for something.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve thought about it. Mia knows I’d have everyone looking for her.” Y/N smiled. “I told her I’d get you and Sam looking. She knew she’d get about five miles down the road.”

Dean laughed. “Maybe further, but not too far.” They ate for a few minutes before Dean took a long sip of his beer and looked at Y/N. “We need to talk about what happened with us.”

Y/N set her pizza on a napkin and took a deep breath. “I realized too late that David was a great guy, but not the one for me.”

“Annie and I…..We were there. That’s the only reason anything happened.” Dean told her. “We never thought it would be anything else, we never pretended...”

“I know,” Y/N reached for his hand. “Annie and I had a long talk about it. I was angry with myself. I knew John didn’t like how close we were and he was doing everything he could to make sure we were never together.”

“Dad wanted me focused. He wanted me to...”

Y/N nodded. “John had a mission and he needed you, and Sam, to help him. It wasn’t fair to you, Dean, but I know you’ve realized that. We don’t need to go into all that.”

Dean moved his hand to her cheek. “You know, I tried to get to Memphis. I think Dad overheard me tell Bobby I was meeting you there. I have a feeling that if I made it there, things have been a lot different.”

“Probably.” Y/N smiled at him softly.

“I wish like hell things were different. I know you heard rumors...” She nodded. “I almost called you about a year ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  
“Why didn’t you?”

“Things were so screwed up. Mom and Jack….It was all a mess.” Dean took a deep breath. “After everything that happened, after the things I saw….”

Y/N moved a little closer to him. “What?”

“I’m scared to even consider anything with anyone ever again.”

Y/N’s expression changed. “I didn’t think we’d suddenly get together, but why are you bringing this all up if there isn’t a chance?”

“I don’t know. I wanted there to be.” Dean grabbed her hand again. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I really am.” He started to move. “We shouldn’t have come. I should have...”

The front door opened and Mia walked in. She saw their faces and bit her lip. “Did I interrupt anything?”

Y/N and Dean shared a look. He gave her a small smile and winked. “We’re good.” Dean smiled at her. “Want some pizza?”

“Sure. Sherry was suppose to be off tonight but she got called in. Em wasn’t in a very good mood and asked me to give her the night.” Mia sat down on the other side of the table. “Her dad isn’t going to make it back before her birthday.”

“I figured that might happen.” Y/N bit her lip. “We’ll make sure it’s extra special.”

“Sherry said she’s got that day off. I guess we’ll see.” Mia looked at her aunt again. “Are you sure you want me here? I’m sure Emily would let me stay there if you two want to be alone.”

“Mia!” Y/N shook her head.

Dean chuckled. “We’re just talking. Trying to work through some things from the past.” He smiled at Y/N. “I’m not staying overnight, Mia. You have no reason to run for the hills.”

“Right.” Mia took a bite of her pizza and sat in silence for a few moments. “I was wondering about something….”

“What’s that?” Y/N asked.

“I was just wondering what my Mom was like when you met her.”

~*~  


Emily was used to her mother having to go to work. She understood. Her father was gone. Her parents weren’t going to work things out. He rarely called, hadn’t been back to town in two years, and had no remorse when Sherry’s job wasn’t enough to allow her to keep the house.

She grabbed her phone and started to text Mia. She may have sent her home, but she really didn’t want to be alone. Before she could send the text, the card Faith gave her caught her eye. Emily picked it out and looked it over again. She closed her text messages and opened her browser. A few minutes later, her hands shook as she dialed the number.

“Hello?” A male voice answered. He sounded annoyed, almost angry, that the phone rang.

“Hi, I’m sorry to call….especially so late. I met Faith and Amity in town and I wanted to make sure Amity was okay after all the excitement...”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Y/N and Mia met the Winchesters the next morning for breakfast before they left town. Mia liked all of them a lot. Jack was cute, but she realized there was something different about him. He reminder her a lot of Castiel, but she was sure he wasn’t an angel. She knew he was different but she wasn’t quite sure exactly how.

Y/N hugged everyone and then came face to face with Dean. He kissed her forehead and smiled. “Think it’d be okay to swing by sometimes?”

“You live two hours away.” Y/N smiled. “I think I’d like to see you, all of you, more often.”

They watched them leave and Mia leaned against her aunt. “Things are okay?”

“We needed to talk about some things. We didn’t get to everything, but we did talk about a lot of things that we needed to.”

Mia gave her a knowing smile. “So much for him not staying over, huh?”

“Amelia!” Y/N laughed. “We talked. You know he slept on the couch.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just fun to tease you.” Mia looked around and saw Emily running up. “Hey!”

“They left?”

“Yes,” Mia saw Y/N’s face. “They’ll be back. At least Dean will be. He slept over last night.”

Emily smiled. “Go Y/N!”

“Girls!” Y/N shook her head. “It’s not like that!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mia grabbed Emily’s arm. “We’re going to the thrift store. I wanted to check and see if they had anything I could use for my table.”

Y/N reached for her wallet and handed Mia some money. “You two have fun. I’ll be at the shop until six. I’m making lasagna for dinner.”

  
“We’re so there.” Mia told her. “Thanks! See you later.”

Emily waited until they turned the corner to ask about Dean. “Do you think it might be serious?”

“Not yet. Maybe one day. He’s cool. I asked him about my mom. I didn’t tell him I knew that they hooked up. Aunt Y/N doesn’t even know I know about that. I just told him Mom said he and Sam were good guys. He told me about a few hunts they went on together.”

“Did you happen to tell them you plan to hunt?” Emily asked.

Mia shook her head. “Dean brought it up. He said he was glad I’m in school and not playing around. He said that I was lucky to get out of it and I need to stay out of it.”

“And Y/N said?”

“She said she knows I’ll probably want to try to try it. Dean actually said he’d take me on something simple, when I’m older. He also said I’d have to finish high school first and prove I can fire a gun.”

Emily laughed. “He has no clue.”

“He probably does.” Mia shrugged. “Aunt Y/N is teaching us what we need to know to survive.”

“Yeah, and once we graduate, you better make damn sure you know what you’re doing.” Emily stopped and looked at a store window. “So, I called Faith.”

“Faith?” Mia looked at her. “From the Hilltop?”

“Yeah, I was kind of scared because this guy answered and he sounded mad. When I told him who I was, he got her right away.” Emily continued walking. “Faith invited us to come spend a day with them.”

“Whoa, what?” Mia caught up to her. “She invited us up there?”

“Yeah, I told her I’d be driving soon and that we could come then.”

“I have no idea if my aunt is going to let me go, Em.” Mia looked at her best friend. “I don’t think you should go by yourself.”

“Duh! She specifically asked for both of us to come, Mia. Just tell Y/N we’re going to the mall.”

Mia was stunned. Emily was usually the one scared to bend the rules even a little. Hearing her suggest they outright lie was a shock. “Y/N told us both that if we drove that far, she’d probably want to meet up with us. Is that going to be possibility? Could we go to the Hilltop early for a few hours and then head to the mall?”

“Faith said we’d really need all day to see everything.” Emily said. “You really don’t want to go?”

“I don’t want to get in trouble. Summer is just beginning, we have camp, there’s supposed to be parties, the town carnival, and Y/N mentioned going to the cabin. I don’t want to be stuck in my room or in the shop all summer.” She thought for a minute. “Maybe Y/N will take us….”

“I don’t know how that would go over.” Emily shrugged. “Think about it. We’ll make it work. We have some time before we have to start thinking of a cover.”

~*~*~

A few days later, Y/N was closing the shop. She sent a text to Mia and was surprised by the quick response. It wasn’t Mia though. It was Dean. She smiled and called him as requested.

“Hey, Sweetheart.” Dean sounded exhausted. “We’re going to be heading back in a few days. I’m going to try to roll into town Saturday morning.”

“Friday is Emily’s birthday. Her mother and I are taking her to lunch and then Mia will be with them the rest of the day. The carnival is the next day and I take the girls every year...”

“You’ll be alone on Friday?”

Y/N laughed. “Yes, I’ll be alone on Friday. You won’t be here until Saturday though.”

She heard the smile in his voice. “I’ll be there by eight Friday night.”

When Mia arrived at the apartment a little while later, Y/N was still smiling. “What’s up with you?”

“What?”

“You’re smiling like crazy.”  
  
Y/N tried to start and then took a deep breath. “Dean and I have been talking a lot. They’re finishing a case and will be in town this weekend. I invited them to go to the carnival with us….”

“Oh?” Mia smiled. “You’re bringing a date to the carnival? That’s pretty serious.”

“We’re not...” Y/N sighed. “We’re friends, Mia.” Y/N changed the subject. “Where’s Emily?”

“Sherry took the night off. She actually turned her phone off this time.” Mia smiled. “I thought we could do manis and pedis.”

“Sounds good. We have some leftovers I can heat up while you grab everything.”

“Perfect!”

A few minutes later, they sat at the table together to eat. Y/N asked about Emily’s birthday.

“Sherry scheduled her driving test for Monday morning. We’re thinking about going to the mall Tuesday.” Mia agreed to go to The Hilltop with Emily. She knew Emily would go alone.

“Sounds like a plan. Of course you two would want to go during the week.” Y/N smiled at her. “We’ll talk more about it after Emily passes the test.”

“Sure.” Mia saw Y/N had another text from Dean. “So will he be bed sharing this visit?”

“No, I don’t think Dean is interested in that.”

Mia raised a brow. “He calls, texts, and he’s making a special stop to see you. I haven’t had a lot of experience with guys, but I’m pretty sure he’s interested in you in that way.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Saturday morning, Y/N finished the decorations Mia started the day before. Sherry had to work double shifts the next two days to make up for the two she needed for Emily’s birthday and to take her to the DMV on Monday. Y/N finished the last balloon when she heard knocking.

She opened the door to the Winchesters. Dean was leaning against the door and smiled. “Miss me.”

“Not really.” She teased. “You’re early. You beat the girls.”

Mary looked at the decorations. “Will the girls be okay with us coming along? I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

Y/N saw Dean’s face. She suspected this had been discussed already. “I spoke to both of the girls and they were excited to have more people to torture.”

The door opened and Mia led Emily in. Her eyes took everything in and she shook her head. “Really, Y/N?”  


“You only turn sixteen once!” Y/N gave her a huge hug.

“You were with us most of yesterday.” Emily thanked her again. “This is great.”

“Everyone’s earlier than we planned so we can go have breakfast before we hit the carnival.” Y/N saw Mia eyeing Jack. “Are you ready, girls?”

Mia nodded. “We’re ready!”

Mia realized something was going on with Y/N and Dean and took over the conversation. She told everyone about the summer camp she and Emily helped at every year. The more she talked, she realized that Emily didn’t seem as excited as she usually was.

Y/N noticed too and changed the subject. “What time were you planning on going to the mall Tuesday?”

“Oh, it’ll be early.” Emily said. “I want to get breakfast and make a couple of stops on the way.”

“Oh?” Y/N looked at her. “How early?”

“Eight, maybe eight thirty.” Emily told her. “I want to see a movie, have lunch, try some...”

“I’m thinking about meeting you girls around two or so. Phyllis and Pete are going to be passing through. She’s the only person I trust to watch the shop and Pete just wants a couch to crash on for a few hours. We could bring them back dinner before they get back on the road.”

Mia almost sighed in relief. If Y/N was going to meet them, Emily would have no choice but to abandon the idea of going to The Hilltop Tuesday. Mia took a bite of her eggs and realized she was shaking.

Emily smiled. “That’d be great!”

“I need to get Mia some things for the summer and I wanted to try and find a few things I need.” Y/N noticed Mia’s face. “You look absolutely mortified!”

“I just thought you trusted me.”

“I trust Emily.” Y/N winked. “I just thought it might be fun, and the adults’ minds at ease. We’ll talk about it later.”

Emily whispered, “Relax! It’ll work out.” and Mia nodded.

Mia did relax as soon as they arrived at the carnival. The girls grabbed Jack and took him on every ride from the entrance to the first row of food stalls. Y/N gave in and let them get funnel cake and lemonade after they agreed to sit for a few minutes.

Sam, Jack, and Mary joined the girls, leaving Dean and Y/N to sit at the only free spot, under a tree. Y/N watched the girls and Jack for a few minutes. “How old is he?”

“Well, that’s a hard one to answer.” Dean sighed. “Technically, he’s a year and a half old, but he decided he’s seventeen.”

“He decided?” Y/N turned to him. “Dean, you let him drink!”  


“That’s...Jack’s a nephelim. He’s...”

Y/N knew. Phyllis told her the stories but she thought they were wild rumors through the hunting community. “He’s the one everyone was after, isn’t he?”

“Not anymore!” Dean assured her. “Jack’s a good kid. He’s good, like his mother.”

“Lucifer is his father?” Y/N asked. She knew letting the Winchesters back in meant possibly dealing with things she hadn’t in years. Y/N refused to expose Mia and Emily to anything…

“Lucifer’s dead. He’s not coming back.” Dean looked at her. She saw something in his eyes.

“So you...you said yes?”

He looked down for a minute. “Y/N, I screwed up.”

“Dean...”

“I’ll tell you everything, but not right now. Not this weekend.”

She looked into his pleading eyes and nodded. “Okay. You’re going to have to tell me though. I have a feeling that you’re going to be coming around more and it’s not just me, or Mia. I have Emily to think about too.”

“I promise, they aren’t in danger.” Dean told her. “I’ll explain it all to you. I promise. Heaven and Hell are problems anymore.”

Y/N nodded. “Castiel hasn’t been by in awhile….”

“Cas is in Heaven. He comes down every few weeks for this or that. He’s helping rebuild things.” Dean sighed.

“We’ll talk later.” She squeezed his hand as Mia and Emily approach.

“Mary asked about the tables over there. I told her you always look because you end up getting a bunch of useless junk.” Mia teased.

“Hey! I’ve found some really cute things at those tables!”

“No,” Emily shook her head. “You really don’t.”

“Brats!” Y/N laughed and allowed Dean to help her up.

The group moved toward the tables and despite their teasing, the teenage girls bought something from almost every table. As they neared the end, Emily’s face paled. “Mia, look!”

Mia saw Amity, Faith, and two others at the last table. “Oh my God. We can’t let them see us, or let Aunt Y/N see that we know them!”  


“Faith may say something!”

The girls turned to the other side of the tables and moved down the path quickly. They almost made it to the end and planned to dash to the restrooms when they heard Y/N call out to them.

“We can’t run away.” Mia said.

Emily took a deep breath. “If we’re going to get caught, now’s the time, I guess. We haven’t actually done anything yet.”

The girls walked over and Y/N pointed to the flowers. “Are these amazing!?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty.” Mia said.

“Dried and preserved flowers.” Y/N showed her. “I can make table arrangements with these.”

Amity noticed them suddenly. “EMILY!”

“Oh, hey!” Emily saw Y/N’s eyes. “This is the little girl we told you about. And Faith.”

“Oh! Hi!” Y/N smiled. “Mia told me Emily saved a little girl’s life and Emily downplayed it.”

“Amity has a habit of running off when we got to town.” Faith smiled at the girls. “How are you?”

“Good. Great.” Mia linked arms with Emily. “Aunt Y/N, we’re going to the restroom.”

Dean walked over at that time. Y/N nodded to the girls and paid for the flowers. Mia looked back and noticed that she and Dean were holding hands.

She also noticed that Faith was watching them suspiciously.


	6. Chapter 6

****

**Chapter Six**

Emily postponed their trip until Thursday. Sherry was working doubles and Y/N would not be able to leave the shop. Mia only agreed to go after Emily promised they leave by noon. Emily agreed. She had to babysit that afternoon and needed the money for her next hair appointment.

“I really don’t know if this is a good idea,” Mia looked at Emily. “We know nothing about them.”

“That’s why we’re going.” Emily reminded her. “We’re trying to learn more.”

“Em, promise me that if things aren’t right, we’ll leave. Immediately.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure!” Emily stopped at a drive thru to grab breakfast. Mia’s phone sounded and she saw the text from Y/N.”

“She wants to know when I’ll be home. She said there’s something we need to talk about.”

“Tell her around noon. I told Faith when I called Monday that we had to leave by eleven.” Emily handed the food over. “Y/N doesn’t suspect anything. You’re with me.”

They ate in silence until Emily turned down an unmarked road. Mia looked around and remembered many roads like this with monsters at the end. She tried to keep herself calm, but she wasn’t sure they should continue. “Em, I really...”

“Mia, I never ask you to do anything like this. Please. Give me this one day.”

Mia swallowed. “Yeah, okay.”

They drove into an open field and saw Faith waiting with two other women. Mia recognized them from the carnival. Emily smiled and waved. She got out of the car before Mia had her seat belt unhooked.

“Mia, hello.” Faith smiled at her when she joined them. “This is Hope and Charity.”

“Hi.” Were these their real names?

“Hope is going to show Emily our gardens. She said she used to have one before she moved into the apartment. I thought Amity and I would show you around the buildings. We’re the only ones here today.”

Mia’s eyes met Emily’s. “I’d like to see the flowers. My aunt wants to have a house one day. She’s always talking about a huge garden of our own.”

“You hate gardening.” Emily gave her a look.

“You and Aunt Y/N enjoy it.” Mia argued. “You and I both know that I’ll have to help her.”

Amity grabbed Mia’s hand. “I wanted to show you the library!”

“Oh?” Mia knew Emily would never forgive her if she gave any indication she didn’t want to be there. “Well, okay then.”

Amity pulled in the direction of run down cabins in the distant. Mia saw the picture perfect lake and looked around, expecting a crazed killer in a mask to hop out at any time.

“Here! It’s the red one!” Amity was excited. Mia saw Faith smile and wondered what was so special about the library.

She realized there wasn’t really anything in their library. Several bibles were on one shelf. She saw cookbooks, crafting magazines, books about gardening, and several other topics Mia imagined came in handy for those living there.

“It’s not much.” Faith admitted. “We’re working on it. Amity is the only child here, for now, but we’re going to try and fix this up as a library and school room.”

“I don’t see any books other than these.” Mia pointed to the books she noticed earlier. “You know the library in town gives away books? They have a small room with a bunch of books they put in there as they replace them. Someone donated several sets of newer encyclopedias. I don’t know if anyone really uses them anymore, but whatever. They put the old sets in the room. They’ve been there for months..”

“We may have to look. Akim is very strict about what we bring into The Hilltop.”

“Akim?”

“He’s the one who started all of this.” Faith explained. “He lived a very sinful life when he was younger. He woke up one day and realized that he needed to get away from all of the temptations.”

Mia hoped her face didn’t give her away. “Emily said there’s only one phone and one computer so I just thought encyclopedias might be a good idea for Amity….”

“Oh, I think so too! Akim would probably want to make sure we don’t bring any books back that may tempt anyone to go back to their old ways.”

Amity showed her a few pictures she drew and then grabbed her hand again. “Let’s go look at the lake!”

“Sure.” Mia followed her outside.

“Mom, wait with Mia! I’ll be right back!”

Once alone, Mia asked Faith what she meant by old ways.”

“I was fifteen when I had Amity. I was from a broken home, my parents were in and out of jail. I was living with my aunt and she had no idea what to do with a teenager. She was young, twenty two or so, and was working two jobs.”

Mia suspected Faith was young. “How old is Amity now?”

“Six. We’ve been here three years.” Faith watched with a smile as the little girl ran back. Her smile faded slightly when she saw her daughter wasn’t alone. “Akim is back.”

Mia looked and was stunned. Akim was young, mid to late twenties. He had short, well kept brown hair, and was wearing a nice suit. She imagined he was older with long hair and lots of facial hair.

“Akim’s back!” Amity told them.

“Faith, I thought you would all be fishing today.” His eyes fell on Mia. “Hello.”

“Akim, this is Mia. She’s Emily’s best friend.”

“Is she? Emily’s here?” His eyes, a clear bright blue, surveyed the lands.

Amity was jumping up and down. “Emily’s looking at the gardens with Hope and Charity. We showed Mia the library and we were going to show her the lake. She said the library in town has books they give away!”

Akim’s eyes met Mia’s. “Is that so?”

“I….there’s encyclopedias.” She said. “Faith mentioned school…...”

“Well, that is a good idea. I’ll have to go and see what I can find.” Akim looked at Faith. “Let’s find the others. You ladies are losing a lot of daylight.”

“Of course,” Faith stood. Mia noticed that the dress she wore today was not only faded, but too tight and had several holes in it. “Mia, I’ll show you the garden now.”

“Great.” Mia looked at her phone. “We’ll have to leave soon anyway. Emily’s babysitting and I promised my aunt I’d help at the shop.”

Akim glared at the phone in her hand. “You’re new to our community, but next time, leave that in your car. We don’t like having anything that can bring evil into our lives.”

Mia stared at her phone for a minute. “Um, yeah. Sorry.”

A few minutes later, they joined Emily, Hope, and Charity. Mia was surprised by the baskets around them filled with vegetables.

“I helped them out.” Emily told Mia. “I forgot how nice it is to work in a real garden.”

“Emily knows more than I do.” Hope smiled. “She told me how to tell if the peppers are ready. I’ve been picking them too soon.”

Akim stared at the young girl. “Hope isn’t much of a gardener. We’ve lost more than we’ve gotten when it’s her week to work the grounds.”

“Some people just aren’t good with that kind of thing.” Mia said. “This isn’t my thing, but I can cook like it’s no one’s business.”

Emily nodded. “Mia’s a genius in the kitchen.”

“That’s very interesting.” Akim was studying Emily. Mia saw the others watching, all exchanging looks. “It’s nice to meet you, Emily. I’m Akim.”

“Hi,” Emily’s face flushed. “Thank you for having us up here. I wish we could stay longer, but Mia and I both have to be places...”

“That’s okay. You’re welcomed to come back anytime.” He stared until Emily’s eyes for a moment before he looked at Mia. “You too, of course.”

“Thanks.” Mia looked at Emily. “We probably should get going.”

“Yeah,” Emily brushed off her shorts. “Thank you, Hope. Thank you, Charity.”

“Thank you, Emily!” Charity hugged her. “Please, bring those seeds next time. I’ll look in the library for the best conditions for growing that type of flower.”

“Sure! Mom has so many we can’t use anymore. I’ll ask what she doesn’t mind parting with.”

Akim smiled. “Faith was right. You are a gift.”

“I...”

Mia interrupted and said her goodbyes. “It’s been really interesting.”

“I’m sure we’ll see you again.” Faith smiled.

“Oh...yeah...” Mia was sure she wouldn’t

“Your aunt said she’d bring the two of you when she comes next week.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A few days later, Mia checked her phone, curious about where Emily was. She was supposed to spend the night but was not returning texts. Mia had a bad feeling, but she couldn’t say anything to Y/N. Not yet.

Emily couldn’t believe Mia hadn’t been impressed. “They live such simple lives, cut off from all the negativity in the world..”

“I guess, kind of.” Mia told her. “It’s just weird. Akim is also really creepy.”

Emily laughed at her. “Akim isn’t creepy! He’s kind of cute.”

“Emily! He’s old!”

“He’s twenty six. Besides, you’re always saying how hot the Winchesters are. They’re a lot older.”

Mia kept her next thought to herself. The Winchesters didn’t frighten her.

She had to stay busy now. Mia suspected Emily was at The Hilltop. That was the only explanation for the unanswered texts and phone calls. She grabbed her suitcase and started packing what she would need for the summer camp. A few minutes later, Y/N knocked.

“Where’s Em?”

“Running late.” Mia told her. “She’ll be here soon. I grabbed the stuff for homemade pizzas.”

“I saw. Can’t wait.” Y/N sat on her bed. “Mia, you’ve been acting kind of weird the last few days. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Why would you think...”

“A few days ago you came home and I was kissing Dean in the living room.”

“Oh!” Mia laughed. “Why would you...” She remembered. “Aunt Y/N, I’m cool with Dean.”

“Okay, so is something else bothering you?”

“No,” Mia shook her head. “Everything is peachy keen.”

Y/N nodded. “Mia, I wanted to talk to you, and Emily, about The Hilltop.”

“What about it?” Mia asked.

“I know Emily was curious but I don’t like the idea of you two going there without me. I don’t know where it’s at, exactly, or how many people are there...”

“How….”

“How what?”

“How did you know? Did you have Dean follow us or something?”

Y/N looked at her. “Mia, what the hell are you…..You two went up there?”

“You didn’t know?!”  


“Damn it, no! I thought that you were planning to! I was going to tell you that I called about their flowers and we’re going tomorrow! I don’t like the idea of you two going alone for the reasons I listed and more!” Y/N shook her head. “Damn it, I have to tell Sherry!”

“No! Aunt Y/N! Please!” Mia begged. “Talk to Emily. If she thinks that you’ll tell her mom, she’ll listen to you.”

“Mia, I’d want to know!”  


“Sherry has so much on her mind. Just talk to Emily. Tell her your concerns.”

Y/N stood up. “I’ll talk to Emily. Do not mention anything to her. I’m serious, Mia. Do not say anything. I’ll talk to her and then decide if I’m still going.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe they let you two come up there like that!”  


Mia bit her lip. “I don’t know if I want to go back, really. It’s pretty, I guess. The cabins are kind of run down, but there’s a lake and their garden is kind of cool.” She shrugged. “There’s something about their leader though.”

“Their leader?”

“Founder. That’s what Emily keeps telling me to call him. Anyway, he’s young, and he was dressed really nice. The women and Amity wear really old clothes.” Mia told Y/N what she saw. Y/N listened and let out a deep breath.

“I’ve seen places like this before, Mia. Most were actually there for what they believed were the right reasons. I would have to see it, to get a better idea.” Y/N hugged her. “I’m not mad. I’m concerned. Please don’t say anything to Emily. I’ll talk to her and we’ll figure this out.”

~*~*~

“Sweetheart, I’ve got nothing. Sammy wasn’t perfect but he never tried to join any cults.”

“Dean!” Y/N laughed. “Do you really think...”

“I don’t know, Y/N. I really don’t. You’re going up there. Be careful. Take everything in. If you see anything suspicious, we’ll check it out.”

“Will we?” she asked with a smile.

“If there’s a reason to, we will.” Dean was suddenly serious. “I trust your judgment. If you think something is going on, we’ll check it out. Honestly, I’m more concerned that they’re on a recruitment drive and they’re looking for girls like Mia and Emily.”

“I’m worried about that.” Y/N sighed. “Dean, thank you. For listening to me, being concerned, and letting me bug you in the middle of a case.”

“You aren’t bugging me. You and I are together, right? So I’m here for you, Y/N. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime. I’ll swing by when we wrap things up here.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

~*~

Y/N sat the girls down the next morning and told Emily she knew about their trip to The Hilltop. Mia confessed she thought Y/N already knew. Emily listened to Y/N and admitted she’d gone twice since the first visit.

“I should call your mother,” She saw the panic in Emily’s eyes. “I won’t. For now. I’m going up there later and was going to take the two of you. You have to promise me that you won’t go alone anymore. They all seem very nice, but I need you girls to listen to me on this.”

Emily agreed. “I won’t go up there without you, Y/N. I promise.” She looked at Mia. “Do you want to go and grab the encyclopedias for the library?”

“What?” Y/N asked.

“I mentioned the library has had their old encyclopedias up for grabs. Amity is the only kid up there but it doesn’t look like they have much there to really help her.”

Y/N nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. I know they always appreciate when someone who really needs the books gets them.”

Emily smiled. “I’ll drive her. I wanted to pick something up for Faith anyway.”

“We’ll leave about two. I told them we’d only be there for an hour or so. I have some things….” The door bell rang.

Mia opened it and smiled. “Well, hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Kid.” He smiled. “Hey, Emily.”

“Hi.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Y/N asked.

“We were on our way back when you called. I wanted to surprise you.” He looked at the girls. “I know you were going out but I can run to the store and start dinner..”

“You cook?” Mia asked.

Dean nodded. “I cook.”

“Aunt Y/N, marry him!” Mia grabbed Emily’s arm. “We’ll be back soon. Love you, bye!”

Dean looked at Y/N. “So, you talked to Em?”

Y/N repeated everything for him. “I’m going to see how she interacts with everyone today. If there’s any reason for me to think she’s in danger, at all, I’ll call Sherry. Em may hate me, she may take that out on Mia for a little while, but I’d rather that than something happen.”

“I can go with you.” Dean offered.

“Thanks, but I know you’re tired.” She kissed him. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

He smiled. “For the first time in a very long, this is the place I want to be more than anywhere else.”

“Even your own room?” Y/N teased.

“I like your room better.” He winked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Y/N was introduced to Akim immediately. She apologized for being blunt but told him the girls would no longer be coming to The Hilltop without her.

“I don’t really understand your concerns, Y/N. Emily’s visited us a few times and she’s made it home just fine.”

“Akim, the roads leading up here can be dangerous. We lost cell signals. If something happened, no one would know where they are. I understand that you don’t want cell phones here, but Mia is to have her phone turned on and with her at all times that she isn’t with me. Emily’s mother feels the same.” Her eyes moved to Emily. “I’ve agreed not to tell her mother that she’s been here, but if it continues, I’ll have no choice but to speak to Sherry.”

“Of course,” Akim’s smile faded. “You’re just looking out for the girls.” His eyes moved to Faith. “Take care of the flowers. We have prayers in an hour.”

“Yes, Akim.”

Emily was embarrassed and staring at the ground. Mia spoke up. “We brought some things for the library. And some fabric.”

“You brought what?” Akim asked.

“The encyclopedias I mentioned. And some fabric. The shop in town is having a sale and we grabbed some for you all.” Mia said. “I grabbed dark colors, since that’s what everyone seems to like.”

Akim managed a smile. “How thoughtful, Amelia. Hope, can you help her.”

“It’s Mia.”

“Isn’t your birth name Amelia? We don’t like to use nicknames. Your parents choose your name for a reason. Honor them by using it.”

Mia saw the look on Y/N’s face and grabbed Emily. “Let’s get everything.”

“Why did she do that?” Emily asked. “Akim...”

“Do you want to be able to come up here at all?” Mia asked. “Aunt Y/N was not joking. She will call your mother. I’m surprised Dean didn’t come with us. That conversation might have gone in a different direction.”

Y/N’s eyes stayed on the girls as they walked to the car. Faith noticed and smiled. “You don’t trust people, do you?”

“Trust is something that has to be earned.” Y/N told her.

Faith grabbed her hand. “The girls are safe when they’re here with me.”

Y/N thought she saw something behind the blue eyes staring at her. Faith smiled a little and Y/N nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She turned and looked at the girls. “Where are those flowers?”

~*~*~  


Dean stayed through the weekend. Emily was upset with Y/N and Mia and decided to go home. Mia missed her, but she was glad for the time with Y/N and Dean. Dean was funny, smart, and he didn’t seem to mind having Mia around. Y/N dated only two other men in the last few years. Both made comments that she should find someone to take Mia. Dean knew Mia was part of the package and he didn’t seem to mind.

“This weekend was fun.” Mia smiled at her aunt as she finished packing the morning camp started. “Dean said we could come visit them sometime.”

“We talked about it.” Y/N told her. “Em would be welcomed to join us.”

“Em hasn’t talked to me since we dropped her off.” Mia sighed. “I don’t know why she’s so obsessed with The Hilltop.”

“It’s just different, Mia. That’s all. I promise you, she’ll get over it eventually.” Y/N smiled. “Give her a call. I’ll take you two to breakfast before I drop you off.”

“Maybe she’ll answer this time.”

Mia was shocked when Emily answered on the first ring. “Hey.”

“Em? You sound awful.”  


She coughed. “I’ve been sick all weekend. I’m not going to be able to go to camp.”

“You’re not?” The girls started attending the camp together when Mia moved to town. For the last three years, they worked as counselors. “I can skip and come hang with you.”

“No, no, they’re going to need you. Three others dropped out last week so they’re short on counselors.” Emily told her. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to rest and get started on the summer reading list.”

“You’ll really like most of the books.” Mia smiled. “I’m sorry you’re sick. We’ll do something really fun when I get back, okay?”

“Sounds great! I’ll see you in a few days.”

Y/N took her to breakfast and dropped her off. “Have fun.” She smiled. “I know you really wanted Emily here, but maybe it’s good you’re doing this on your own. At some point, you two are going to live two different lives.”

Mia hugged her and nodded. She joined a couple of girls she knew from the previous year. She laughed as one told a story about taking her driver’s test. Mia turned and froze.

Emily was getting out of Sherry’s car. Sherry pulled off, likely late for work, and Emily stood at the corner until an old beat up van pulled up and she jumped in. The van turned around and headed toward the mountains. Mia started to call Y/N, but stopped.

Y/N was right. Emily and Mia would eventually live their own lives. Emily was going down a road Mia was not willing to travel. She hoped Y/N was right and Emily didn’t go too far before she realized it was time to hit the breaks.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Y/N smiled at Dean. “That felt good.”

“I told you it was like riding a bike cycle.”

“I told you I haven’t done this in years! I was worried I wouldn’t be as good as I used to be.” She laughed. “It sounds like we’re talking about sex.”

“No!” Sam spoke up from the backseat. “I do not want to have to listen to a conversation...”

Dean laughed. “No worries, Sammy.” He turned the music up. “Y/N and I are doing just fine up here.”

She moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. “Think we’ll be back by five?”

“Six, six thirty.” Dean told her. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I thought we’d be on the road earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She turned the music down and dialed Sherry’s number. “I hope she’s not working. I feel bad asking when Emily didn’t….Hey, Sherry! I have a favor to ask.” She smiled at Dean as she explained she was on how way home but would not get back in time to pick up Mia. “I’m sorry to ask since Emily didn’t go...”

“Em went. She started feeling better after she took a shower and had some breakfast. She wasn’t running a fever or anything so I let her go. She said shed call if she didn’t feel up to staying but I never heard from her.”

Y/N was surprised Mia hadn’t mentioned Emily was there. “That’s good. I’m sure she hated the thought of missing everything.”

“Emily loves helping at the camp. It would have killed her to stay home.” They talked for a few minutes and Sherry agreed to get the girls. Y/N hung up and asked Dean if he could drive a little faster.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know but something isn’t right. Mia hasn’t mentioned Emily once this week and Sherry said she dropped Emily off the other morning after she started feeling better.”

Dean put his foot on the gas. “I’ll have us to your place before six.”

~*~

Mia saw the text. Y/N would be home by six, with dinner. Sherry was picking her up.

Mia hoped Emily was there before her mother.

Mia paced, waiting, nervous, and hoping Emily showed. She promised herself that if Emily didn’t, she’d tell Sherry…

“Mia? Where’s Emily?” Sherry was standing in front of her.

“I...”

“Hey, Mom!” Emily was suddenly next to Mia.

Emily’s blonde hair was gone. Her pink and purple highlights were gone.

Emily’s hair was dark brown and pulled into a long braid.

“Emily….” Sherry’s mouth dropped. “What the hell? When?”

“One of the girls brought the dye with her. She chickened out so I used it.”

“It’s...It’s your hair, Em, and you paid for it yourself, but it was expensive, and you’re a natural blonde. You know it’s going to be really hard to get your hair back to your natural color when it’s this dark...”

“Mom, it’s okay.” Emily said. “It’s not a big deal. The pink and purple were just a phase. Brown suits me better.” Mia cringed when she added. “It’s a simple color.”

Sherry sighed. “It looks nice, but I’m not used to it. Well, come on, girls. I was thinking we could stop for dinner...”

“Thanks, Sherry, but I don’t feel well.” Mia said. “It’s been a long week and I haven’t slept much.”

Emily looked at her. “What about our sleepover?”

Mia shrugged. “Oh, yeah. That’s fine. Don’t be offended if I fall asleep on you.”

Once alone, Emily smiled. “Thanks for the cover.”

“Don’t thank me.” Mia noticed the bracelets. “Where did those come from?”

“Faith, Hope, and Charity gave them to me.” Emily showed her. “It’s their way of welcoming me...”

“I’m worried about you. The Hilltop of changing you.”

“Yes! It is!” Emily agreed. “For the better, Mia! It’s making me a better person.”

“You were already a great person, Em. You never lied. You never considered sneaking around. I’m worried you’re going to get yourself into serious trouble.”

Emily’s eyes darkened. “You’re jealous. You’re jealous because you don’t fit in and I do.”

“I’m not jealous! You’re my best friend and this...” Mia stopped. “Em?”

“Akim is waiting for me.” Emily grabbed her bags. “I’ll see you later.”

“If you leave, I’m calling your mother.” Mia threatened.

Emily shook her head. “You won’t. I know you, Mia. You’re not going to call my mom or tell Y/N.”

“How do you know?”

“You’ve had plenty of chances and haven’t done it yet.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Two weeks after Emily walked out of her room, Mia learned from another friend that Sherry caught Emily sneaking in her window one night and grounded her. She lost her phone and car and had a six pm curfew. Stacy didn’t have any more details and thankfully didn’t comment that Mia and Emily weren’t talking. Mia wondered if Stacy knew about The Hilltop. She wondered if Emily had talked Stacy into visiting.

Mia decided to try and talk to Emily again. This was the biggest fight they had ever had and Mia was ready to end it and move on. She arrived at the apartment Emily shared with her mother and knocked. She knocked again after a few minutes and then bit her lip as she tried the door. Emily was terrible about locking the door behind Sherry.

She was relieved when it opened. “Emily? Door is unlocked. Again. I’ll leave if you really want me to. I hope you’ll talk to me though. I really miss you.” Mia didn’t hear anything so she stepped inside and called out again. “Em?”

Mia walked through the apartment and knew Emily was not there. Sherry was working late, again, and was probably trusting Emily to be home by six. She stopped in the doorway to Emily’s room and sighed. Mia didn’t want to lose Emily, but she feared that if she said nothing, she would lose her anyway.

She took the long route home and arrived to see Y/N finishing dinner. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

Mia shrugged. “I tried to see Emily.” She didn’t tell Y/N everything, but confided they had an argument over The Hilltop. Y/N went twice since her first trip and decided she would not return. She thought the girls were very sweet, but Akim made her uncomfortable. She didn’t tell Mia but his interest in the girls worried her. Y/N tried a few times to talk to Faith, but Akim never left the two of them alone.

“Give her some time and space.” Y/N smiled softly. “She’ll come around.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“She’s your best friend, and I know it hurts, but she’s been through a lot this year. Her father left, they lost their home, she had to move, and Sherry went from working a few days a week to almost everyday. I honestly thought this would happen months ago. She’ll come around, Mia. Just be there for her when she does and don’t throw this argument in her face.”

“I won’t.” Mia saw the beer. “You don’t usually buy that brand.”

“Oh, I...”

“Dean’s coming?”

Y/N nodded. “Things are serious.”

“I figured.” Mia smirked. “Did you think anymore about fixing the guestroom.”

“Mia, Dean...”

“Not for Dean. For Sam, or Jack, or Mary. I’m not stupid. I saw Dean sneaking out of your room to the couch last week.” Mia laughed when her aunt blushed. “Aunt Y/N, I’m happy for you. I know you loved him before.”

“I did. I didn’t tell him.” Y/N put a pan in the oven. “Mia, you know what kind of life he lives. This may not last too long.”

“So why bother?” Mia asked her. “Why put yourself through this?”

Y/N didn’t get a chance to answer before Dean, Sam, and Jack arrived. Mia helped Y/N get everything on the table before they all sat down together. Every time Dean was around, Y/N was happier, more carefree. Sam always asked Mia about the books she was ready, and Jack wanted to know more about what it was like to be a teenager.

Just as they finished eating and Dean was telling everyone a story about a hunt he, Y/N, Sam, and Annie went on once, Mia’s phone rang. She ignored it and turned her attention back to Dean. Emily called back and Y/N looked at her.   
  
“Talk to her. It’s been two weeks.”

“Yeah, okay.” Mia excused herself and went to her room. “Hello?”

“Mia, I’m sorry.” Emily’s voice was low. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“You did.” Mia said honestly. “The Hilltop scares me, Em. There’s so many things about that place I don’t like.”

“You don’t understand it. You’ve never really seen it. Your visits have always been very short. Y/N makes them nervous. She’s too suspicious.”

Mia sighed. “Can you blame her, considering what she used to do?”

Emily laughed. “I can’t tell them about that, can I?’

“I would prefer you didn’t.” Mia sighed. “I’m an outsider to them, Em.”

Emily was quiet for a minute. “You don’t have to be. Come with me this weekend. My mom is going to a conference. Stacy said she’d cover for us...”

“What?” Mia

“We’ll go Friday morning and you’ll be home by Saturday evening. Please, Mia.”

Mia knew she should say no. She knew that she should get off the phone and tell Y/N. Instead, she took a deep breath and said. “I’ll go. This is the last time.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! Can I come over tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure. The Winchesters are here, but I’m sure Y/N will be happy to see you.” The girls talked for a few more minutes before Mia told her goodbye and rejoined everyone.

“You okay?” Y/N asked.

Mia turned to her aunt. She could tell her. This was her chance to tell Y/N the truth. Just as she was about to tell her everything, she saw the text from Emily.

_Thanks, Mia! I promise you’re going to love every second of it!_

“Mia?” Y/N asked her again. “Are you okay?”

“Everything is good. Stacy’s having a sleepover Friday and we’re going to hang out all day I’ll be back sometime late that afternoon.”

“Emily is going?”

“Yeah. She’s going to come over tomorrow so we can talk.”

Y/N hugged her. “I’m glad. I know you have been miserable and I’m sure she has too.” Y/N smiled. “Remember what I told you earlier.”

Mia nodded. She saw Dean and Sam watching her and wondered if they knew she was lying. A part of her wanted one of them to call her out, but they didn’t. Mia knew her opportunity to tell Y/N the truth was gone and that whatever happened after this night, she was in deeper than she wanted to be and was terrified she may not be able to find a way out.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Friday morning came and Y/N knocked on Mia’s door early. “Hey, Phyllis is downstairs in the shop. I’m going to a flea market for the day to look for some things.”

“I’m heading to Stacy’s soon. We’re going to spend most of the day in the pool.” Mia had a small bag packed and waiting. “I’ll give you a call later.”

“Okay.” Y/N handed her some money. “Just in case.”

“Thanks.” Mia had some cash, but she was glad to have extra. If something happened and she needed to leave The Hilltop, she’d be able to call and get a ride home. “Tell Dean hi.”

Y/N froze. “You know?”

“You weren’t exactly whispering when he left the other morning.” Mia smiled. “Have fun.”

Twenty minutes after Y/N left, Emily text that she was waiting downstairs. As Mia walked down the stairs, she made a decision. When she stepped outside and saw Emily, she knew Emily couldn’t either.

Emily’s hair was in the braid she had been wearing for weeks. Her hair was starting to grow out and Mia saw that it was a shade darker than the blonde she always had. She had removed her earrings and all other jewelry except for the bracelets. Mia was surprised she still wore the bracelet Y/N made her with the charms.

Her dress was a dark green with no buttons. Her shoes were old black flats Mia knew Emily had to dig through her closet to find. Mia took in her appearance and shook her head. “Emily...”

“What?”

“I’m not going.” Mia told her. “I don’t think you should either. I’m calling Y/N. Look at you! You look like one of them!”

“I am one of them.” Emily told her. She was much calmer than Mia expected. “I’m going to be initiated tomorrow morning. I want you to be there. Our father doesn’t usually allow outsiders to attend but he knows how important you are to me...”  
  
“Your...father?” Mia swallowed. “Emily, please tell me you aren’t serious.”

“My father and sisters want you to feel welcomed and included.” Emily held her hand out. “Mia, please. I want you to come and see what The Hilltop is really like.”

Mia felt sick to her stomach. “If you’re joining them, how am I going to get home? What am I going to tell your mother?”

“It won’t matter. Mom isn’t going to be able to do anything about it. My dad signed custody papers a few weeks ago. He agreed to sign the papers saying I’d be leaving with him if I promised not to bother him for anything. My mom won’t be able to do anything.” Emily explained. “We’re leaving for the mountains tomorrow for a month. We’ll drop you off on our way out of town.”

“Emily, please. Think about this.” Mia pleaded.

“I have, Mia. I’ve been thinking about it since I met them. Please come with me. I need you there.”

Mia took a deep breath. “I need to grab my inhaler. Just in case. I’ll be right back.”

Upstairs, she wrote a note and stuck it on the refrigerator. She grabbed an old track phone Y/N kept for emergencies and put it in her boot. Y/N teased her about wearing boots that were too big, but Mia was relieved she never threw them out. She grabbed her inhaler and then stopped as she walked past the room Y/N used as an office. She opened the drawer she was told to never touch and grabbed one of the silver daggers. She considered the gun, but if Akim searched her bags, she’d have a hard time explaining that.

“You’re ready now?” Emily asked when Mia got into the car.

“Yeah,” Mia forced a smile. “I don’t like this, but if you’re really going to do this, I want to be there.”

  
“Thank you, Mia.” Emily smiled. “It means so much to me that you’re coming.”

“Emily, I’m worried but if this is what you want...”

“Actually, my name isn’t Emily anymore. Akim said that it’s meaning goes against what The Hilltop stands for.”

“What?” Mia turned to her. “If Emily isn’t your name anymore, what is it?”

“Grace.” She smiled. “Akim thinks it fits me.”

“Well, I may slip and call you Em until I’m used to it.”

Emily, Mia could not think of her as a Grace, smiled. “I understand. It’s taken me some time to get used to it also.”

“Right.” Mia wanted to send Y/N a text but didn’t want Emily to see and get mad. “What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll have you home earlier than Y/N expects you.”

~*~

Y/N’s hand was on his chest. “We could have gone back to the bunker, Dean.”

“We are never truly alone, Y/N/N.” He kissed the top of her head. “And I don’t get an actual hotel room for just anyone.” He joked.

She laughed. “I appreciate the gesture but you didn’t have to do this to get laid.” She straddled him. “For something that wasn’t going to be serious, it sure seems like it got that way quick.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” he touched her face gently with the back of his hand. “There’s something I want to talk to you about. I’m not sure how you’d feel about it...”

Y/N’s phone rang at that moment. “It’s Stacy’s phone. I wondered why Mia wasn’t blowing me up with pictures…Hello?….Stacy, slow down….” Y/N face paled. “Mia said they were staying with you tonight! Did Mia know what Emily was planning?” Y/N put the phone on speaker so Dean could hear.

“I don’t know. If Mia knew, she probably didn’t want to get Em in trouble.” Stacy was crying. “I wasn’t going to call but I just found a bag of clothes Emily left me. She left a note saying she didn’t need them anymore and that anytime I wanted to visit her at The Hilltop, I could just call.”

Dean sat up and reached for his phone. Y/N heard him say, “Sammy, grab Mom and Jack and get to Y/N’s apartment. We’ve got a problem.”

“It sounds like she’s planning to stay there! She didn’t mention Mia going when she asked me to cover. I tried calling her mom first, but the call isn’t going through.”

Y/N knew her suspicions were right. She’d tried to call Sherry several times in the last few weeks but had the same problem. She didn’t want to stop by the apartment in case she was sleeping and going to the hospital would only distract her. Y/N knew she should have done it anyway. “Stacy, thank you for calling me.”

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble but the note scared me.”

“You did the right thing, Sweetie. I’ll go up there and get them.”

She ended the call and Dean asked. “You’re sure Mia’s with her?”

“Mia texts me all the time. You know that. I haven’t heard from her at all today.” Y/N started getting dressed. “Damn it, Dean. I told you I haven’t been able to get a hold of Sherry. It sounds like someone blocked phone numbers.”

Dean was dressed and gathering their things. “I sent Sam a text and told him they needed to stop for your car. Let’s go.”

“This isn’t your problem.” Y/N told him. “I screwed up. I should have gone to Sherry the minute I knew Emily went up there alone.”

“Hey,” Dean pulled her to him. “You didn’t screw up. The girls have never given you any reason to question them before.”

“It sounds like Emily’s planning to stay at The Hilltop.”

Dean shook his head. “Not happening. I’m positive Mia isn’t on board with that.”

“I felt like she wanted to tell me something. She was scared.” Y/N started to cry. “What if something happens? What if...”

“Hey,” He looked into her eyes. “We’re going to get the girls and we’re going to make sure this Akim learns his lesson.”

“I should have tried harder to talk to Faith. She told me the girls were safe with her.” Y/N said as they walked to the Impala. “I have to believe that.”

“We’re going to get them out of there, Y/N.” Dean kissed her softly. “I promise you, we’re going to bring them home.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Mia knew the moment they arrived at The Hilltop there were going to be problems.

“I’m not wearing that dress.” Mia told Hope. “I’m not joining and I’m not changing my clothes.”

“Akim said you have to.”

“I don’t and I won’t.” Mia folded her arms across her chest.

“Mia, please.” Emily looked at her. “It would mean a lot to all of us.”

“Grace, Akim said...”

“I’ll talk to her, Hope.” Emily promised. “Mia, stop being so rude.”

“It would be more disrespectful for me to put on that dress and wear it knowing that I’m not joining and I don’t have intentions of joining. Really, Em, I’d feel like I’m mocking all of you.”

“Her name is Grace.” Hope’s tone was no longer as friendly as the previous times she met Mia. “Please show her respect by using it.”

“Her name is Emily. That’s what I know her as. I’m not going to be able to start using another name just like that.” Mia looked at her best friend. “Em, you know I’m right. I shouldn’t wear that if I’m not a part of it.”

  
“You’re right.” Emily handed the dress back to Hope. “It’s okay. Mia’s here to support me, not to join.”

“Akim is not going to be happy.” Hope turned and left the room in a hurry.

“What is this initiation anyway?” Mia asked.

Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been different for everyone.”

“It has?” Mia looked at her. “Did they give you any ideas...”

“We aren’t allowed to discuss it.” Emily said quickly. “I’m a little nervous, really.”

Mia started to say something, but Akim appeared in the door. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

“Leaving?”

“To go to the mountains.”

Mia’s panic boiled over. “I can’t go to the mountains. My aunt is already going to be angry I came up here. Emily said we’d be here until all of you left for the mountains. I’m not going to the mountains.”

“Grace must have misunderstood me.”

“No, Akim, I didn’t.” Emily stood up. “You said that we’d spend today preparing for my initiation and the month in the mountains. You said we’d drop Mia off before we left town.”

“Mia, you’ll have to change.”

“Like hell I will.” Mia looked into his eyes. “Emily, I’m leaving. I’ll call Y/N when I get a signal.” She grabbed her bag and walked to the door. “Excuse me.”

“Akim,” Emily was behind Mia. “I’ll drive Mia to the gas station and come back...”

“I’m disappointed, Grace. I thought you understood we needed willing recruits.”

“Mia isn’t a recruit. She’s my best friend and she only came because I begged her.” Emily grabbed Mia’s hand. “Mia wants to leave. I’ll be back once I know she’s got a ride home.”

Akim shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not an option. The two of you aren’t going anywhere.”


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Y/N filled everyone in on what she knew about The Hilltop. She questioned whether they should call the police but Dean told her he thought that would endanger the girls. “Let us deal with this. Our way.”

“Does Mia have a laptop?” Sam asked.

“It’s in her room. Usually on her bed or nightstand.” Y/N was trying to call Sherry on everyone’s cell phones. She realized Emily must have taken a picture of the list of phone numbers on her refrigerator. She rushed over and saw Mia’s note. “Oh my God!”

“What?”

“‘I’m sorry. Emily asked me to go to The Hilltop and I said I would. She’s joining and wants me to be at her initiation. It’s Saturday morning. She said they’ll bring me home before they leave town. Please come get us! I know I’m in trouble but she would have gone without me and I wasn’t going to let that happen.’ She said that Emily isn’t going to listen to her about this.” Y/N looked at Dean. “We have to go up there. Now.”

“Are you going to try and call Emily’s mother?” Mary asked.

“I’m trying but Emily blocked everyone.” Y/N slammed her first on the table. “Except the track phone.”

“Use it!” Dean told her.  
  
Y/N held up the note. “Mia took it just in case Akim took her phone.” She grabbed her phone and sent a text. “I should have known. I should have been paying more attention.”

“Sweetheart, this isn’t your fault!” Mary put her hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “I may not have been around when my boys were teenagers but I remember what I was like.”

“I got the site up.” Sam walked over with the laptop. “I know you’ve been there and met everyone...”

“I never looked at the site.” Y/N admitted. “I don’t think there’s anything more there...”

“Actually there’s an email address.” Sam told her. He sat down at the table and got to work. “I’m not as good as Charlie but she taught me a few tricks.”

Twenty minutes later, Sam had more information than Y/N could imagine. The email address was linked to another with the name Steven Gregory. Sam did a few more searches and pulled up all of the information he could find on him.

“He’s twenty six. Twenty years ago his parents started something similar to The Hilltop but were murdered, along with his sisters. He was put into the system and got into trouble. A few years ago, he disappeared.” Sam dug deeper. “The file has pictures of his family. He’s rebuilding what his father started ages ago.”

Y/N looked at the information Sam had and froze. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

“Annie and I….We stopped them.” She looked shocked. “The man tricked girls into joining him. He told them they were going to have a better, simpler life in the hills. He and his wife were trying to summon Astraea. She’s a goddess of purity. He believed that summoning her would cleanse everyone of their sins.”

“I’ve seen lore.” Sam said. “She cleansed by destroying everything.”

“Akim’s father had to sacrifice all of the pure women around him. He believed that Astraea would give him and his son a free pass. We never thought to test that theory. He slit all of the women’s throats, including his wife’s, and then Annie and I got there. We killed him before he could finish the summoning.” She was pale. “He’s here because of me. He’s not going after Emily, he’s going after Mia!”

“We have to go.” Dean looked at his mom. “Mom, I know you hate being benched but if the girls make it back, we need you to let us know.”

“There’s no cell service,” Y/N reminded him.

Dean smiled at Jack. “We’ve got something better…” He stopped. “Son of a bitch! We’ve got something better!”


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

“Mia, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” Emily cried as they tried to open the window. It was jammed. Mia knew breaking the glass would bring too much attention.

“Em?”

“I am so stupid. I thought...” She reached under the bag and pulled her bag out. “I’m going to...” She paused. “My clothes are gone!”

Mia shook her head. “Hope.”

“You kept your bag. She wasn’t thrilled.”  


“I’m suspicious. I get that from my aunt.” Mia told her. “Y/N may be on her way here.”

“Why would she come? She thinks we’re at Stacy’s.” Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “I took a bag of clothes to Stacy and left a note with them. I think maybe I wanted her to find the note before we left.”

“Em,” Mia grabbed her hands. “We are going to get out of here. One way or another, we are going to get out of here and go home. We need to calm down and think.” Emily nodded. She took a few deep breaths. Mia continued. “I left a note for Y/N.”

Emily stared at her and laughed. “I knew you would. I am so glad that you are as suspicious as Y/N.”

“Y/N will come. Mostly likely Dean...” Mia stopped talking when they heard something. The door slowly opened and Faith appeared.

“Let’s go.” She saw the young girls hesitate. “Come on! They’ll only be distracted for a few minutes.” Mia saw the keys in her hand. “I’m going to show you how to get out of here. You have to take Amity with you. Promise me you'll take her with you and keep her safe.”

“Always.” Emily glanced at Mia, who nodded. “We’ll keep her safe.”

Faith led them to the woods. “Amity is waiting. She’s hiding but she can see this path. Take her and she’ll show you where to go. Find your aunt, Mia. Tell her to call the Winchesters. We’ll need all of them to help here.”

~*~

“Try to reach Mia or Emily, Jack.” Dean was driving as fast as he could. “Tell them we’re coming.”

“Focus, Jack,” Sam encouraged. “You’ve got this.”

Jack focused but after a few minutes, he spoke. “I tried but I felt like something was blocking me. I tried reaching out to both of the girls.”

Y/N was shaking. “I knew it. I told you I felt weak when I wore the ring Annie gave me to the Hilltop. I felt sick until I got about a mile from the area.”

“Son of a bitch probably has sigils everywhere.” Dean reached for her hand. “We’ll get the girls, Y/N. You have my word.”

~*~

After running through the woods for ten minutes, Emily stopped. “Amity?”

Mia looked around. “This is too Walking Dead for me.”

“What?” Emily stopped and stared at her.

“Sophia running from the walkers and they couldn’t find her...We’ll find Amity! She’s going to be fine. She won’t be caught by Walkers.”

“Walkers don’t exist.”

Mia gave her a look. “Zombies really do.”

“Shut up, Mia.” Emily looked around. “I heard something...”

“Emily!” Amity run from the bushes. “Come on! I know where to go. Mommy made me practice. She said the Hilltop isn’t safe for us and we have to leave.”

“Where are we going?” Emily picked Amity up. “Which way?”

“That way!”

They started walking but Emily suddenly fell to her knees. Mia grabbed Amity before she could fall, but she felt something strong in her head.

Amity grabbed the bracelets Emily wore and pulled them all off except for what Y/N and Mia gave her. “Those keep you from talking to Angels. Akim said the angels are really bad. Mommy said he’s wrong.”

Emily heard the words clearly suddenly.

_We are coming. We will be there soon._

“I’m not wearing anything...”

“Yes, you are!” Emily grabbed Mia’s hair and pulled it free. “That’s not a ponytail holder.”

Mia blinked. “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”

“Shh! I think it’s Cas.”

Mia shook her head. “It’s Jack.”

~*~

“They’re talking at the same time!” Jack said. “I got through. They’re praying to me, but it’s…there’s a third voice! A child.”

“I’m not surprised those two are talking at the same time.” Y/N knew they were alive, but she needed to know what was going on.

Jack focused again. “I told them we were coming. They’re getting away from the Hilltop. The child knows a safe place they can go.”

“If the kids aren’t there, we go in, end him, and the others will tell us where girls went.” Dean looked at Y/N. He saw his brother’s face. “What?”

“Faith is the only one I trust to help. The other two are so far up his ass, they will die trying to protect him.”

Dean pushed the gas pedal all the way down.

~*~

“Girls, you’re only making me angry now.” Akim was closer than they knew. “I’m not humored by this escape attempt. You’ve taken Amity from her mother. Faith is very upset.”

“He’s lying. Mommy doesn’t trust him.” Amity whispered.

“I’ll find you.” Akim’s voice was louder. “I’ll find you and I’ll kill you.”

Emily and Mia began running at top speed. Mia was now holding Amity and ducked behind a tree with tall, thick bushes. Emily saw Mia move to the right, but she tripped over a huge stone. She got up, but strong arms wrapped around her.

“I’ve got you, you little bitch.” Akim slapped a hand over her mouth.

Emily fought back as hard as she could but Akim was too strong. Mia was terrified, but looked and saw Akim carrying Emily in the opposite direction.

“I need you to go where your Mom told you too. Do you know how to use a phone?” Amity shook her head. Mia took a deep breath and pulled her phone and showed her which numbers to call.

“Run, Amity. Run as fast as you can.”

“I’m scared!”

“I know, honey,” Mia looked at her. “You can do this though. My aunt Y/N will be there with more friends to help. I’m going back to get Emily and your mom.”

“Mia, be careful! Akim is really mean! He’ll hurt you all!”

“I’ll be okay. Run to wherever your mom told you to take us. I’m going to go help them. Call my aunt, or Dean or Sam. Remember the ones I showed you?” Amity nodded. “You’ve got this, Sweetheart.” Mia hugged her. “Run, Amity!”

Mia watched until the little girl was out of sight. She slowly moved from the bushes and looked around. She quickly found the trail Akim took and then looked for another way back. Mia knew Y/N would be angry later, but she was going back for Emily and Faith. She knew that’s what her aunt and mother would both do.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mia moved quietly and as quickly as she could. She knew she couldn’t draw attention to herself. She knew Akim could have others watching out for her. Mia had to stay calm. Emily was in trouble. Emily needed her.

~*~  


Y/N dialed the number again. “Damn it!”

“Calm down.” Dean reached over and squeezed her hand. “We’ll get there.”

“The signal is going to go any...” The phone rang. “Mia? Amelia!?”

“This is Amity. Mia said to call. Akim has Emily and she went to save her.”

Y/N felt sick to her stomach. “Mia went back?”

“I’m at the place where Akim hides cars.”

Y/N put her speaker. “Okay, Amity, what’s this place look like?”

“It looks like a barn. Mom said they used it for cows a long time ago.”

Y/N knew exactly where to go and gave Dean directions. “Amity, I need you to find a place to hide. We will be there very soon.”

“How does she have a cell signal?”

“The barn is about a mile from where my phone usually cuts off.” Y/N explained.

Sam spoke from the backseat. “It used to be a dairy farm?”

“Yes, years ago.” Y/N pointed to a road. “Down there! We’re almost there!”

~*~

“We will begin the sacrifices soon.”

Emily sobbed silently. She saw Faith next to her and realized that even she didn’t know about this.

“Each of you will die to honor the Goddess.” Akim looked at Hope. “Are you ready?”

“This isn’t right!” Hope cried. “You lied to me! You lied to us!”

Emily saw Mia hiding close by. She prayed to Jack and told him where they were.

~*~

“Akim is starting the ritual. He’s about to kill one of the girls.”

“Who!?” Y/N asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s not Emily or Mia. Mia is hiding, Emily said she thinks she’s supposed to be last.”

Dean pulled in front of the barn. “Sam, find the kid.”

“I’m going from here on foot.”

“Stop!” Dean grabbed Y/N’s arm. “You aren’t going anywhere alone. Sam, get the kid. We’re going after Mia and Em.”

Y/N looked at him. “Are you...”

“If you ask me if I’m sure, I’m going to handcuff you to the car.” Dean kissed her. “Sweetheart, I made a mistake years ago and I have a lot of time to make up for. We’re going after the girls, kicking Akim’s ass, and then we’re going to talk about a few things.”

~*~

“Your lives will not be sacrificed in vain. The Goddess Astraea will cleanse the Earth.”

“No!” Hope screamed. “No! Akim, I don’t want to die! I believed you! I thought we were...”

She was cut off when his knife slit her throat.

Emily felt sick. He was actually going to do it. Akim was going to kill them.

He grabbed her next. Faith looked surprised. “I thought I was next! I thought...”

“You were supposed to think so.” Akim looked at Emily. “You have a few minutes. I’m sure Mia would like to hear why she’s so important for this ritual.”

“Mia’s gone! She took Amity and ran!”

“Mia’s hiding, watching everything. She’s the daughter of a hunter. She thinks she knows what she’s doing.” Akim looked around. “Come on out, Mia! You want to hear this. You need to hear this.”

“She’s not...”

“Come out now,” He grabbed Emily and put the knife to her throat. “Or Emily is dead where she stands.”

“I’m here, I’m here.” Mia stepped out, her hands up. “Let her go.”

He threw Emily next to Faith. “Welcome to the party, Amelia.”

“I’m here. What is it I need to know?”

“I want you to know about my family. My father was a great man. He had a vision of a simpler time and place. He knew that there was only one way to fix this world. He wanted to summon Astraea and have her cleanse the Earth.”

“Oh?” Mia rolled her eyes. “How’d that work for him?”

“Your mother and aunt killed him!” Akim screamed. “They killed my father before he could complete the ritual!”

“Bummer.” Mia saw Emily pleading with her. She knew the attitude was not going to help.

“I’ve waited years to fulfill his dream. My father pointed out your mother and aunt when I was a boy. He knew they were hunters and he knew they’d try and stop him. He knew everything about them.”

“Your father stalked my mom and aunt?” Mia shook his head. “I imagine the whole summoning a Goddess thing would have turned them off.”

He rushed toward her and slapped her across her cheek, hard. “My father was an amazing man! He had a dream and as his son, it’s my job to see this through!” He looked at Hope, whose blood was spilled on the ground in the middle of what Mia realized was a circle. “I waited, I planned. I picked my four virgins and mother out carefully. Emily was a bonus. She’s so miserable in her life, she jumped at the chance to be a part of our family. It was you I really wanted. I knew you’d be suspicious. I knew Y/N would forbid you from coming up here.” Akim smiled. “I knew that you would worry about Emily. Poor Emily. We broke her, you know. Not that she wasn’t already broken. She doesn’t have much of a life without you.”

“That’s not true!” Mia argued. “Emily is amazing!”

“You really believe that don’t you.”

“Em, don’t listen to him!” Mia looked at her best friend. “Please, don’t listen to him.”

“She did. It’s a done deal.” Akim said. “Once I kill the two of you, the blood of three virgins...”

“That’s fascinating, but will it really work?” Mia asked. “I mean, you need virgins?” Mia looked at Emily. “Didn’t you tell me that you and Hope talked about this.”

“Talk about what?” Akim asked.

“Their first times.” Mia said. “Did you think Em stopped talking to me about things like that? Oh, dude, she told me so many things.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Hope. I know about the two of you.”

“She was cleansed. Hope was pure when I killed her.”

Mia raised her eye brow. “I don’t claim to know everything about hunting, but I know enough about a few things to be a pain in your ass. I’m pretty sure when the spell calls for a virgin, you need a real virgin.”

“You and Emily...”

“You never told him?” Mia asked. “He never asked?”

Emily shrugged. “I guess he assumed the loser was a virgin. I’m not sure it even counts! It lasted maybe a minute.”

“There was penatration. It counts.” Mia saw Akim’s patience wearing thin. “Oops, guess you can’t do it...”

“We’re going to get Amity and then I’ll perform the same cleansing on both of you I performed on Hope. You’re not going to delay this any longer.” He pulled out a gun and fired a bullet into Emily’s leg.

“That’s for the delay.” He grabbed Mia and started toward the woods. “We’re going to get the kid. When I come back, Astraea will be reborn.”


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Y/N broke into a run as soon as they heard the gunshot. Dean and Jack caught up with her.

“Y/N, stop!” Dean grabbed her.

“They’re at the Hilltop.” Jack told them. “Emily’s been shot. Mia...He was going to take Mia with him, but decided it would be quicker without her.”

“He’s heading toward Sam.” Y/N looked at Dean. “Do you have a signal?”

“No,” Dean checked his phone. “Damn it!”

“Go after Sam.” She told him.

“No way.” Dean looked at Jack. “Go back. If you see him...”

“I know what to do.” Jack turned and began running back toward Sam.

Y/N started in the direction she knew the girls were waiting. Dean moved next to her. “Hey,” He stopped her. “I know we need to get to the girls, but you need to calm down. You need to go in smart.”

“I always...” She stopped. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m too close to this. I should have had your mother come.”

“Mom is where she needs to be.” Dean took her hand and they started toward the Hilltop together. “We’ll get the girls and we’ll end this. Everyone is going to be okay.”

“Em was shot.” Y/N was shaking. “I don’t even know how to begin to explain this...”

“We’ll wipe her memories.” Dean said. “Like before.”

“I just want to see the girls. I need to know they’re okay.”

“We’ll get to them, Y/N. They’re going to be okay.”

~*~

Akim left Mia behind at the last second. He seemed to realize that he would not be able to bring both girls back. Mia remembered the dagger in her boots and was thankful for the chance to try and free Emily, Faith, and herself.

She sat on Emily’s leg, to her friend’s surprise.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Trying to put pressure on your wound.” Mia bit her lip. “I don’t know what else to do.” She was still struggling to reach the dagger. “Damn it!”

“I’m sorry, Faith!” Emily looked at the other woman. “I didn’t want him to go after Amity.”

“He won’t get her.” Mia smiled. “I prayed to Jack. Amity will be safe.” She managed to get the dagger out of her boot. “Yes”

“Cut yourself and Faith loose and go!” Emily told her. “Run!”

“I’m not leaving you behind. I egged him on. This is my fault.” Mia cut Emily free, tried her flannel around the bullet wound, and then moved to Faith. “I shouldn’t have said as much.”

Faith thanked her. “I’ll help you get Emily. Amity is okay?”

“I’m positive she’s safe.” Mia told her.

“I tried to tell Y/N. I should have gone to her. I found a box full of newspaper clippings, information on your family, and photos of you two, your aunt, and I believe your mother.” Faith moved to Emily’s side. “We’ll get you help, Em. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m okay.” Em was pale. “I’m fine.”

“Akim suspected I knew something. He told the others that I needed to be punished. He forbid me from being alone with either one of you.”

“He’s such a charmer, isn’t he?” Mia helped Emily to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  
They turned and saw Akim watching them with the gun pointed at Mia.

“Not so fast.” Akim’s voice startled them. “Amity is with one of the hunters. We will get her soon.” He looked at Emily. “Repent and you will be pure again. Our Goddess will forgive you.”

“Admit defeat, douchbag.” Mia snapped. “You can’t do this spell without pure blood. Hope’s blood is not going to be any good by the time you get around to killing the rest of us.”

“Emily, repent! Now!” He grabbed Mia again. “I will kill her!”

Gun shots rang out and in the chaos, Akim pulled Mia away and into the woods. Mia started to scream, but he slapped his hand over her mouth.

“If you scream, you will regret it.”

She tried to scream again, but the sound was muffled. He made a sharp turn and she realized they were in a cave. He threw her down to the ground and pointed the gun at her again.

“Why? Why would you even consider any of this? Don’t you get that the world is never going to be clean and pure again? Too much has happened...”

“Shut up!” He screamed at her.

“Shot me. It doesn’t matter what happens to me now. Emily, Faith, and Amity are safe. Y/N and the Winchesters are here. They’re going to get the others out safely. It doesn’t matter what happens to me now.” Mia smiled. “For the record, I’m positive your cleansing spell didn’t work on Hope. Then again, you would have had three other virgins.” She saw his face. “Yeah, we were playing your sorry ass.”

“Shut up!” Akim stood up. “Just shut,” he fired a shot past her, “your fucking mouth!”

His next shot hit the wall behind her. Mia turned to run through the exit, but the cave collapsed around her before she had the chance to escape.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Y/N checked Emily. “I prayed to Jack. He and Sam are coming with Amity.”

“I’m going to find Mia.” Dean stood up.

“I’m going with you...”

“No!” Dean said. “Y/N, please. I need you to stay with Emily. I’ll bring Mia back. I need you to stay here.”

“Dean, please!”

“Y/N,” Dean shook his head. “We’re losing time.”

The Impala pulled up at that moment. Jack jumped out of the car before Sam came to a complete stop.

“I know where Mia is. Let’s go.” Jack looked at Y/N. “Mia said for you to help Emily.”

“Fine.” Y/N looked at Dean. “Bring her home.”

“I promise.”

~*~

Mia blinked a few times, but she couldn’t see anything.

“Mia, are you awake yet?”

Mia bit her lip. She had a small flashlight in her pocket but she wasn’t sure using it was a good idea.

“You realize once I’m free, I’m going to kill you.” Akim said. “I’m going to enjoy every second of it too.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to Jack. Slowly and as quietly as possible, she started to move. Mia reached for the small flashlight and took a deep breath before turning it on.

Akim was struggling to get free. He saw the light and looked up. “I’m going to get you, Mia.”

She turned the light off and slowly moved toward where she believed, where she hoped the exit was. Mia was sure in the few seconds she had her flashlight on, she’d seen a small opening in the rocks.

“Your mother had a big mouth too. I was six years old and I wanted to punch her. I got a few licks in on you.”

Mia tried to move the rocks as slowly, carefully, and quietly as she could.

“Y/N’s hunter boyfriend and his brother are probably looking everywhere in the woods for her. This cave is well hidden though. I made sure of that.”

Mia moved a rock and a tiny bit of light entered the cave. She looked behind her but couldn’t see Akim.

“Emily was such an easy target. She wanted something of her own. Something that had nothing to do with you. She would have followed you to the end of the world, I’m sure, but she wanted something more.”

She knew answering him would give him an idea of where she was. She continued to move the rocks, one by one, until she was sure the opening was large enough to fit through.

Mia knew she had to make sure Akim was still stuck. Once she got out of the cave, she would be able to get away and find Y/N.

Shaking, Mia took the flashlight and turned. She hadn’t heard anything from him in several minutes and hoped he passed out. Three deep breaths later, she turned the flashlight on and looked in the direction the thought Akim had been.

He was no longer there.

Panic grew as she turned to the opening. She screamed when she saw him next to her.

“Boo!”

“No!” Mia screamed.

  
“I’m going to kill you, Mia. I’ll bring Astraea back. It’ll take time, but I will do it. My father tried three times. His third time would have been perfect if your mother and aunt hadn’t interrupted. I’ll have to find myself a wife and have daughters. I won’t wait. I’ll do it as soon as the last daughter is born.”

“You’re sick.”

“You don’t see the bigger picture, Amelia.” Akim looked at her. “Maybe you could though. You could be the mother instead of one of the virgins.”

“Never.” Mia spit in his face. “I’d rather die!”

Akim slammed her against the wall. “That can be arranged also.” He picked up a huge rock. “Goodnight, Mia.”

He lifted the rock and Mia closed her eyes tight. This was it. This was the end….

Gunshots rang out. After several seconds, Mia heard his voice.

“Come on, Sweetheart.” Dean was moving more of the fallen stone with Jack’s help. “It’s okay, Mia. We’re here.”

She saw Akim’s body on the floor on the cave, bleeding. She turned quickly and allowed Dean to help her out.

“Did he hurt you?” Dean pushed a piece of hair from her hair. “Mia, did he...”

She shook her head and looked into his eyes. She threw herself in his arms and cried.

“It’s okay,” Dean picked her up. “It’s all okay. Let’s get you back to Y/N and Emily.”


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

“What were you thinking?” Sherry asked Emily. “Why would you go to a place like that?” She put her head in her hands. “I know I’ve been working a lot, but I thought...”

“It’s not your fault, Mom. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I wish I could explain it to you, but I can’t.” Emily cried. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Shh,” Sherry hugged her. “It’s okay. I’m just glad that both of you are okay. I’m glad Mia left the note for Y/N.”

“Is Mia okay?”

Sherry nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be down here soon enough.”

Mia and Y/N were just outside the room, but instead of going in, Mia raced toward the exit.

“Mia? Wait!” Y/N caught up to her. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“It’s time to leave, Aunt Y/N. We have to leave.”

“Leave?”

Mia cried. “This could happen again. Someone else, something else, could show up. Sherry doesn’t remember how we met them. Emily does. They’ll remember this unless we do something about it.”

“What are you suggesting, Mia?” Y/N asked.

“Dean said Cas was coming. Is he here yet?”

Y/N nodded. “He’s going to heal Emily.”

“Have him alter Sherry and Emily’s memories.” Mia’s eyes filled with tears. “We’ll have to leave.”

Y/N sat down next to her. “Mia, where are we going to go?”

Mia looked up. She saw Dean, Sam, Jack, Mary, and Cas getting out of the Impala. “I have an idea.”

“Mia,” Y/N saw Dean watching from a distance. “Do you really understand what this will mean?”

“Sherry and Emily will forget about me. I’ll forget about them.” Mia wiped her eyes. “It’s for the best, Aunt Y/N. You and I both know that.”

“Mia, you and Emily have years of history. You can’t erase that!” Y/N knew this was more complicated than Mia understood.

“Fine, change things!” Mia begged. “We can’t stay here. It puts Emily and Sherry in danger.”

“I’m sorry.” Y/N put her arms around Mia. “Your mom never wanted this for you.”

“I know, and I don’t blame either of you. This is the life we live though. This is the life I’ve more or less chosen for myself...”

“Mia, you have options! You can...”

“No,” She shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t just walk away from this. I know too much. Yeah, I could become a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant but I’ll come back to this unless I forget it. You haven’t hunted in how long and you’re doing it again.”

Y/N noticed the Winchesters were close enough to hear the conversation. She saw Dean’s face as he looked down. “Mia, I…”

“Don’t.” Mia saw Cas. “I need you to do help me.”

Cas looked at Y/N. After a long minute, she looked at Mia. “We can change their memories, if Cas agrees. It would be harder to change yours.”

“Can it be done?” Mia asked.

Cas nodded. “I can do it.”

She stood up. “Come with me.”

~*~

Sherry was getting coffee and it took only a second for Cas to work his magic. He sent her home to get things for Emily, to give them time with her.

Emily sat up with a smile with Mia walked in. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay? What happened?”

“It’s over. That’s the most important thing.” Mia saw Emily’s face. “Damn it!”

“What?”

“This happened because of me! Because my mom and aunt hunted Akim’s family. This could happen again!”

“Mia, what are you saying? Are you leaving?” Emily asked.

“We are, but don’t ask to come with us.” Mia walked to the bed. “You are the best friend I’ve ever had. The best friend I’ll ever have. I love you like you were my sister.”

“Mia, you’re scaring me.”

“Mia,” Cas stood in the doorway. “It’s time.”

“Time...” Emily understood. “No! Please! Mia, don’t let Cas do this.”

Mia hugged Emily. “I want you to have a happy, full life. The only way I know that can happen is if I’m not in it.”

“Mia, please.”

She hugged her again before she ran from the room. Y/N looked torn. Dean smiled.

“Stay with Em. I’ll take care of Mia.”

Dean found her on the side of the hospital sobbing.

“Hey,” He got down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I know how much this sucks.”

“What? How?”

“It’s a long story I’ll tell you another day, but I had to do this to save a kid I loved.” Dean sighed. “I know that it keeps him safe. There’s always a chance that something might happen once day and I’ll have to go back into their lives, but for now, they are safe.”

“Does he remember you?” Mia asked. “Cas said he can’t erase me from their minds.”

“No. Cas wiped out every memory he and his mother ever had of me. You and Emily have too many mutual friends and acquaintances. Lisa and Ben needed to move and start over so it was easier to wipe everything.”

“Y/N and I have to leave town.”

Dean smiled. “She and I talked about that early. I told her we’ve got room for the two of you until you decide on something more permanent.”

“Thanks, Dean.” Mia hugged him. “Can you come with me? I want to make sure it worked.”

“Are you sure?” Dean asked. “That was the hardest part for me. Seeing the kid didn’t know who the hell I was.”

Mia sighed. “I need to make sure that Em remembers only what Cas wants her to.”

Dean stood up and offered his hand. “Come on, Kid.”

As they neared the room, Mia stopped. Dean looked at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...” She took a deep breath. “This may be the last time I see her.”

Cas walked out of the room. He saw them and looked at Mia. “Y/N insisted you say goodbye. Emily doesn’t recall how she was shot. Sherry will fill her in.”

“What’s the story?” Mia asked.

Cas saw Dean shake his head. “You should go say goodbye. Y/N told her that you were in a car accident and that’s why you two were here.”

Mia nodded and walked to the door. She saw Y/N and Sherry talking while Emily flipped through channels.

“Mia, hi! Your aunt just told us about the car accident.” Emily gave her a small smile. “I hope you’re okay.”

“Yeah,” Mia nodded. “I’m fine. What about you?”

“Just a little accident.” Sherry told her.

Y/N knew she needed to go. She told Emily goodbye and then smiled at Sherry. She gave Mia a look before she left the room.

“I’m going to get you something to eat.” Sherry told Emily. “Thank you for stopping by, Mia.”

“Sure.” Mia watched her leave and looked at Emily. “How are you?”

“I’m really tired but I’m okay. I’m surprised you and your aunt came to my room.”

“Really?”

  
“We aren’t exactly what you’d call best friends anymore.” Emily said. “It’s been four, five months?”

Mia understood. People knew they weren’t together as much over the last several months. “Yeah, I know...”

“Look, Ryan wasn’t worth the fight.”

Ryan Rodgers. A kid at school the girls both thought was cute.

“No,” Mia swallowed. “Guys never are.”

“I’m sorry.” Emily told her. “Maybe we could hang out sometime.”

“We’re moving.” Mia told her. “This week.”

“Oh,” Emily looked surprised. “Where are you going?”

Mia lied. “Maine. We’re moving to Maine.”

“Wow, okay.” Emily looked down. “We’ll keep in touch, won’t we?”

Mia knew that wasn’t possible, but nodded. “Sure. We’ll talk all the time.” This wasn’t going to work if they stayed in contact. She’d have to have Cas come back in. “I have to go. Take care of yourself, Em.”

“I’ll talk to you soon.” Emily smiled.

“Sure.”

Mia saw everyone at the end of the hall and told Cas it didn’t work. “She remembers too much.”

“It will fade as she sleeps. “I had to be careful because too many people could trigger memories. Emily and Sherry will remember bits and pieces before too long.”

“You’re sure?”

“I have done this before, Mia.” Cas assured her. He lifted his hands but she stepped back.

“No. I thought that would be best but I have to remember. I have to remember so that I don’t call her, or answer her calls. Emily and I could easily fall back into a friendship without either of us realizing it’s dangerous. I have to remember.”

Y/N touched her cheeks. “Amelia, are you sure? I want you to make this decision, but I don’t want you to regret it later. I don’t want you to hurt anymore than you already do.”

“I need to hurt, Aunt Y/N. It’ll help me keep people I love safe from people like Akim.”


	19. Chapter 19

Epilogue

The ceremony was over. Mia knew she had to leave soon to make it home for dinner. She was thankful for the morning graduation and hoped to get out before anyone recognized her.

Emily was a high school graduate. She was heading to Auburn. Sherry was dating a radiologist from the hospital and looked happier and more relaxed than Mia remembered seeing her.

She started moving toward the exit as quickly as possible once she made it out of the wave of families leaving the auditorium. Mia did this often. She came for concerts, plays, and several other events. She kept up with Emily, even if Emily had no idea. She hoped at this point, she was just a distant memory for her old friend.

Mia saw the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Y/N told her this was going to be harder. The kids she went to school with for years graduated together. If not for the trouble two years earlier, she would have walked across the same stage that day.

“Mia! Mia, wait!”

She froze for only a second before she raced outside. Mia thought she could make it to her car without this happening, but she was wrong.

“Wait!” Emily ran across the parking lot. “Mia, why didn’t you stop?”

“I...”

“Where have you been? I tried calling you, and Y/N, for months!” Emily looked angry and confused. “I felt like we made up and then you just dropped off the face of the Earth.”

“We went to Europe.” She wasn’t lying. A case took them through Europe for several weeks the summer before.

“You couldn’t call or write?”

Mia shrugged. “It was hard. I’m sorry.”

“I’ve seen you around. Always in the back.” Emily shook her head. “Whatever.”

“Em, wait.” Mia grabbed her arm. “Are you...happy?”

“What?”

“Are you happy?”

Emily shrugged. “I wasn’t for a long time. Things didn’t make sense for awhile. I was kidnapped and shot the night I saw you at the hospital. You were gone, and I didn’t know what the hell happened. Eventually, I went back to school and I made friends. I joined different clubs and I started doing different things. At some point, I realized I was happen.”

“Good.” Mia surprised her with a hug. “I’m glad. I want that for you.” Mia saw Faith and Amity watching from a distance. Amity’s memories were altered but Faith knew everything. Mia nodded at her. “I have to go. I have a drive ahead of me.”

“Yeah. Maine.”

“Yeah, we were there for a little while.” Twice for cases. “We’re a few hours away.”

“How is Y/N?” Emily asked.

“She’s good. Happily married with a baby on the way.”

“What?” Emily’s eyes widened. “Her old boyfriend who showed up before we stopped hanging out?”

“Yeah,” Mia nodded. “She and Dean got married about a year and a half ago.”

“That’s great. Tell her congratulations for me.” Emily saw her mother waiting for her. “I have to go too, I guess.”

“Take care of yourself.” Mia hugged her one last time. “See you around.”

Emily had a feeling Mia would stay out of town after this. She watched her drive away and turned back to her mother, Faith, Amity, and several other friends who were waiting to celebrate with her.

Mia drove straight back to the bunker. Y/N and Dean were looking at houses, but she planned to stay where she was. They needed room for the baby and Mia didn’t want to intrude on their well deserved time as a family.

She walked into the kitchen and saw a very pregnant Y/N putting plates on the large kitchen table she insisted they buy when she and Mia arrived. “You’re not supposed to be doing that!”

“You’re as bad as Dean.” Y/N smiled. “How was it?”

“Nice, sad. I miss a lot of those people. I miss Emily the most.” She took the plates and forced her aunt to sit down. “Emily saw me. She chased me down.”

“What?”

“She said she was kidnapped the night I saw her last. Shot. Faith and Amity were there.” Mia looked at Y/N. “Something seemed off.”

“Off how?” Y/N asked.

Mia didn’t have a chance to answer. Dean, Sam, Jack, Mary, and Cas entered at that moment with food, cake, and several pies.

“We didn’t get to celebrate last night because you left immediately.” Mary hugged her. “We are so proud of you.”

“We are.” Sam grabbed her next. “You know it’s not too late to apply to schools.”

“I know but that’s not what I want. Not right now anyway.” She saw Dean looking at her. “What?”

“We found a house. Y/N and I thought we’d take you to see it tomorrow. Make sure you’re okay with your room.”

“I told you I wasn’t going to need a room. I’m staying right here with my family.” Mia looked around.

Y/N and Dean shared a look. One day, the truth might still come out. Sherry and Amity’s memories were altered, but Cas decided not to take Emily’s memories. Emily promised never to tell Mia, if she saw her, that she remembered everything. Y/N’s reasoning was that Emily needed the knowledge she’d learned over the years as much as Mia did. Y/N wondered if Emily would try and see Mia again, to tell her the truth, but she couldn’t worry about that now. Her hand went to her stomach. She had to focus on her own child and her husband. Mia and Emily were adults now. If one of them sought out the other, she only hoped they would give each other the benefit of the doubt. She never believed the girls would go the rest of their lives without talking to each other.

Mia smiled as her family gathered around and filled their plates with food. They laughed and joked, Y/N told stories of Mia’s younger years in school. Some included Emily, but Mia could smile now when she heard her old friend’s name. She realized that she was happy. Her life was different than two years earlier, but she was happy.

She would miss everything she lost because of the Hilltop, but it was because of that night, Mia knew exactly what she was destined for in life. Mia knew that she was ready for whatever might come her way.


End file.
